LOCKDOWN

CARVING
Murray Taylor reflects
on his period of isolation

PROJECTS TO CARVE Acanthus swirl • Hare head walking stick • Traditional

Icelandic motifs • Hanging parrot • Pierced panel • Oak and laurel frame
TECHNICAL ADVICE Chainsaw sculpting • Tool sharpening tips • Knife grips
A4.indd 1
WC176_COVER.indd 1 25/08/2020 18:55
25/08/2020 18:56
 The finest tools for your finest woodwork

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Welcome

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK IVAN FORTUNE

his issue we were keen to find out what you were doing Among the other projects and techniques covered in this

T during the lockdown months and you rose to the challenge.

We take a glimpse at some of your carvings in our From the
Community section, while Murray Taylor shares how he made the
most of the extra time on his hands.
issue, you will find guides to carving a parrot and a walking
stick handle, tips to improve your carving of faces, and inspiration
on every page.
Maybe the past few months have given you the time to develop
In this edition we have the pleasure of introducing the art of your talent, or maybe you’ve been frustrated when it came to
chainsaw carving to Woodcarving magazine with expert Tim sourcing materials. Whatever your experiences have been in this
Burgess sharing his experiences of this popular and fast-paced strangest of times, we’d love to hear from you and see your latest
craft, and Dave Western brings some Nordic style to the bedroom work, so please contact us at WCEditorial@thegmcgroup.com
with an Icelandic bedboard. Happy carving!

WOODCARVING 176 1
 5

PROJECTS
5 Acanthus swirl ornament
Steve Bisco carves and gilds a classical 36 Icelandic bedboard 68 Hanging parrot
acanthus swirl in sapele mahogany Dave Western shows how to add some Cedric Boyns lets his imagination take flight
Nordic style to your sleeping arrangements with this fun decoration
28 A motif plaque
The House of Samworth is now 48 Carving during lockdown 75 Oak & laurel frame
immortalised in a distinctive way Murray Taylor reflects on his period Mark Ivan Fortune carves this beautiful
by woodcarver John Samworth of isolation wood surround in the Black Forest style

32 Walking stick 60 Pierced archer panel

Paul Purnell carves a brown hare Mark Gough carves a pierced and carved
head to top a useful cane wall panel inspired by a local legend

28 75

2 WOODCARVING 176
 WOODCARVING 176

68 60

TECHNIQUES
10 The whole head
In the fifth article of his Practice Makes
Perfect series, Peter Benson perfects the
whole head

16 Chainsaw sculpting
Tim Burgess presents a quick guide
to this dramatic art

23 Sharpening carving tools

If you spend any time with woodcarvers,
you’ll soon gain a whole new appreciation
for sharp tools
FEATURES COMMUNITY
40 Carved bowl 1 Welcome
Mark Baker reflects on the bowl he was once 44 Mike Wood tribute What did you get up to in lockdown?
asked to carve using traditional methods We proudly present a portfolio of some of
his best work from Woodcarving magazine 14 News
54 Knife grips for carving wood The latest woodcarving news
Adrian Lloyd shares the fourth and final 80 The Amber Room
article in a series exploring traditional This month we trace the remarkable 21 Book review
carving techniques history of the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ Grinling Gibbons

22 Subscription offer
Save 15% on the cover price and get
a FREE book

65 From the community

36 This month’s news, letters and work
from the forum

73 Meet the authors

Meet some of this month’s writers

74 Next issue…
Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next
issue of Woodcarving? We reveal a sneak
peek at what to expect

WOODCARVING 176 3
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 Acanthus swirl ornament
Steve Bisco carves and gilds a classical acanthus swirl in sapele mahogany

PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEVE BISCO

The classical acanthus swirl is one of the unfurled fronds that roll over on themselves.
mainstays of decorative carving. It forms You must capture the fluidity of the swirl,
the swirling foliage of just about every type twisting and turning upwards, downwards
of classical decoration, including Ancient and sideways, continually on the move like
Greek and Roman, 17th-century Baroque, a living organism. All the curves must be
18th-century Rococo and 19th-century Neo- smooth – an awkward angle or a straight
Classical. It appears in crestings, picture line will spoil the carving. And you must
frames, mirror frames, chimney pieces, accentuate the curves with grooves and vein
friezes, staircases, capitals, corbels, and just lines that flow all the way along a leaf or stem,
about anything that can be carved in wood never losing that continuous smooth line.
and stone. Sometimes the leaves are densely This project gives us an exercise with
entwined together, and in other examples which to practise acanthus carving, and also
they are thinly strung out along slender vines. an attractive ornament at the end of it. So
They generally bear only a slight resemblance that it can sit on a cabinet and look pretty,
to a real acanthus – a plant with indented I have made it in sapele (Entandrophragma
green leaves and unfurling fronds that cylindricum) – one of the mahogany substitutes
grows as a weed in the Mediterranean, and that is much easier to obtain than the real
also quite well in my East Anglian garden. thing. I’ve finished it with French polish and
It takes practice to master the subtleties that given it ‘highlights’ of real 23¾-carat gold
put the life into an acanthus carving. Tiny little leaf (known as parcel gilding), which on
touches at the leaf ends, such as the little half- this scale is much easier than it sounds.
moon incisions and the downward twist of the If you just want some acanthus practice
gouge at a leaf tip, can make a big difference without a fancy finish and the challenge
to the appearance. Also the shallow concave of a hardwood such as sapele, you can,
surfaces of the broader leaves, the deeper of course, just carve it in lime with any
channels of the narrower stems, and the half- finish (or none) to suit your taste. A real acanthus plant →
WOODCARVING 176 5
THE ANCIENT HISTORY OF ACANTHUS Things you will need
The acanthus plant grew wild in the lands The Corinthian capital was one of the Gouges:
of ancient Greece and Rome, as it still does most decorative of the classical orders • No.3, 10mm
today, and it has been used as a decorative throughout the days of Ancient • No.3 fishtail, 18mm, 10mm
motif for at least 2,400 years. The Ancient Greece and Rome, and in the classical • No.4 fishtail, 6mm
Roman architect Vitruvius, in his book revivals of more recent times. • No.5, 7mm, 13mm curved
De Architectura written around 30BC, • No.6, 25mm
relates a poignant tale of how the • No.7, 10mm
capitals of Corinthian columns came • No.8, 8mm, 8mm curved
to be encased in acanthus • No.9, 20mm, 3mm, 16mm curved
leaf decoration: A maiden of • Short bent, 10mm
Corinth in Ancient Greece died • Skewed spoon, 10mm L&R
young (in around 400BC) and • V-tool, 6mm straight, 2mm
her grieving nurse filled a wicker straight, 4mm curved
basket with things the girl had Chisels:
loved and placed it on her grave. • Flat, 20mm, 6.5mm
An acanthus root was growing • Hooked skew chisel, 16mm
on the grave, and in the spring Other :
the leaves grew up and clasped • Bandsaw, rifflers
around the basket. The architect
Callimachus, working in Corinth at Materials:
that time, saw this and was so struck • Sapele (Entandrophragma
by the decorative effect that he cylindricum) 250 x 90 x 65mm
designed capitals for the columns • French polish, smooth soft brush
of Corinthian buildings encased in • Gilding size, 23¾-carat gold leaf, gilder’s
acanthus leaf decoration. A Corinthian capital (dismounted from its column). tip brush, soft brush, artist’s brush

SAPELE MAHOGANY
Mahogany hardwoods are much favoured for their rich-red lustrous finish, but it can be hard work to carve. It is quite hard and brittle with an
surfaces, but the genuine mahogany traditionally used for carving unpredictable grain, so care is needed to prevent splinters breaking off.
and cabinetmaking (Swietenia macrophylla) can be difficult to obtain In awkward sections it is often safest to carve across the grain or by using
today. Substitutes like sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum) are the skew gouges. Sapele has a moderate blunting effect on tools, so frequent
next best thing and are quite easy to obtain from hardwood suppliers honing is needed. All mahoganies produce a beautifully rich period
and many general timber merchants. Sapele gives a highly decorative effect when finished with French polish and decorated with gilding.

6 WOODCARVING 176
 ACANTHUS SWIRL ORNAMENT PROJECT

PREPARATIONS
1 Get a piece of sapele (Entandrophragma
cylindricum), 250 x 90 x 65mm, and make
a full-size copy of the drawing to fit it.
Trace the top pattern on to the wood using
carbon paper. Also trace the pattern on
to transparency film so you can redraw
it on the wood as you carve it away.

2 Cut the pattern out of the block,

preferably with a bandsaw or scrollsaw
if you have one, or otherwise with
a long-bladed jigsaw, a coping saw,
or whatever saws you have.

3 Fix the carving to a backing board and

1 2 on to the bench. The best type of bench is
one you can walk around to get the best
cutting angle, but if you can’t do that clamp
the piece with quick-release clamps so you
can easily move it to get the best angle.

ROUGHING OUT
4 Rough out the volute at the left end to
get the main features in roughly the right
position. Sapele is not a very forgiving
wood and breakouts can be difficult to
put right, so work down gradually and
carefully with small slicing cuts to get
the measure of the wood as you go.

5 Move to the other end to rough out the

frond. Make a couple of saw cuts to the
required depth and chisel out a ‘trench’
3 4 between the frond and the main leaf.
Round over the end of the frond, sweeping
upwards and towards the back. Undercut a
little to rough out the shape, but leave the
main undercutting for the detail carving.

6 Now rough out the shape of the main leaf.

It slopes down towards the base at the sides
and flicks up at the end nearest the frond.
The opposite side is rounded over into the
flow of the volute. Use the transparency to
redraw the flow of the swirl (a white crayon
shows up best) to finish shaping the leaf.

7 The rounded sides of the carving need

to be followed round into the underside.
It is best to do this before the detail
carving so you can more easily carve in
5 6 the flowing curves, and while you can
still clamp it in a bench vice without
damaging the detail. It is hard work doing
this in sapele, so make sure the carving
is clamped in tight. The underside and
back of the frond need a lot of shaping.

CARVING THE DETAIL

8 We start the detail carving on the
main leaf. Mark in the main flow lines
with a V-tool, using the transparency as
a guide, then cut round the individual
leaf ends to their required shape.

7 8 →
WOODCARVING 176 7
9 Separate and shape the individual segments
of the main leaf. Make them broader and
shallower at the ends, with a mixture of
concave and convex profiles. Where they
coalesce towards the volute end, make them
steeper and narrower with pronounced
vein lines and mainly convex profiles.

10 At the ends of the main leaf, carve the

details that put life into the acanthus. Cut
some ‘eyes’ in the leaf lobes by ‘drilling’ in
vertically with a No.9, 3mm gouge or No.8,
8mm. Use the same gouges to scoop out
grooves running outwards and downwards at
the leaf ends, and also some little half-moon
cuts to give the ends a slightly ragged look.
Add extra veins at the ends with a fine V-tool. 9 10

11 Carve the veins of the main leaf round to

the left-hand end, swirling around the outside
of the volute. Make some of the leaf stems
convex, some concave and some flat. As the
area gets smaller around the end, merge
two or three leaf stems together, adding
some eyes at the point where they merge.

12 Now carve the detail of the volute. The

outer part merges into the first acanthus leaf,
with a vein separating the part that joins the
face of the leaf from the part that joins the
edge of the leaf. Both of these are slightly
concave. The central part of the volute ‘spins’
outwards and underneath the first leaf – these
parts need a smooth finish for gilding.
11 12
13 Moving to the frond, cut around the leaf
ends and mark the flow lines on the outside.
Hollow out the inside curve of the frond,
carefully undercutting beneath the leaf tips, to
form two smooth concaves with a vein down
the middle and thinner veins on each side.

14 Carve the outside curve of the frond,

using three widths of gouges and a fine
V-tool to create coves and veins that
sweep up from underneath and curl over
to the leaf tips. Shape the leaf tips with
downward turns of the gouge and the little
half-moon cuts discussed in step 10.

15 Carve the leaf that emerges from

under the main leaf beside the frond.
Also undercut the ends of the main leaf 13 14
where they extend over the frond.

16 Remove the carving from the backing

board and undercut the underside of all
the leaf edges so they look suitably thin
from the front. You can clamp the carving
in a bench vice with plenty of padding,
or you can make a wooden ‘cradle’ on
the bench to hold it still upside down.

15 16

8 WOODCARVING 176
 ACANTHUS SWIRL ORNAMENT PROJECT

FRENCH POLISH
French polish is a solution of shellac dissolved
in alcohol. It is applied thinly with fine
brushes or cloth and dries quickly, leaving
a clear, hard coating which enhances the
colour of the wood. If you need more than
one coat, work quickly and smoothly as the
alcohol can dissolve previous applications.
If it all goes horribly wrong you can clean it
off with methylated spirit, which is alcohol
based and is also used to clean the brushes.

17 Use fine abrasives, and fine rifflers if you

have them, to create a finish that will look
17 18 smooth and even without losing the detail.
French polish, and especially gilding, will
show up any irregularities, so make sure the
surfaces to be gilded are very smooth.

FINISHING
18 To apply a French polish finish, brush it on
very thinly with a fine, soft brush. Work it into
the crevices but avoid letting it run or build
up thick patches. Let it dry and harden before
you buff it up to a soft sheen with a dry cloth.

19 Get a book of real gold leaf, some gilding

size and a thin artist’s brush, a gilder’s tip for
picking up the leaf and a soft brush for pressing
it down. A proper gilder would use a special
gilder’s knife and pad to cut up the gold leaf,
but unless you plan to do a lot of gilding it is
19 20 cheaper just to manage with an ordinary knife.

20 ‘Paint’ a thin coat of size on the areas

to be gilded, a few sections at a time. The
gold will stick exactly where you put the
size, so accuracy is important. The size takes
about 5-10 minutes to become touch dry.

21 Carefully fold back the cover paper on a sheet

of gold leaf and gently score across it with a
knife at the edge of your fold. Cut it into sections
slightly larger than the patch you are going to
gild. Pick it up carefully with a gilder’s tip, which
you rub into your hair first to build up static.

22 Lower the gold into position with the gilder’s

tip and press it down gently with a soft brush.
Brush away loose leaf from the edges (it will only
21 22 stick to size) and go over bare patches with small
pieces of leaf. For this I used three leaves of 23¾
carat gold, including the inevitable wastage.

23 The carving, with its French-polished sapele

and pure gold highlights is now finished. The
23¾ carat gold will never tarnish and will
retain its brightness for very many years. w

GOLD LEAF
Real gold leaf comes in books of 25 sheets, each
measuring 80mm square. Expect to pay about
£37 for a book of 23¾ carat gold leaf, from a
specialist supplier. You could use imitation
gold leaf, which comes in larger sheets, is
much cheaper, and is easier to handle, but you
would need to seal over it with French polish to
stop it tarnishing and it would be less bright.
23

WOODCARVING 176 9
 The whole head
In the fifth article of his Practice Makes Perfect series, Peter Benson perfects the whole head

ach of the articles so far

E have dealt with study sticks

for individual elements
of the face but the size of head
that hobby carvers tend to carve
doesn’t allow too much detail to
be included. More accurately, we
tend to try to put too much fine
detail into small heads when it
is far more important to get the
proportions and overall form
correct than to try to include
detail that is, in fact, almost
impossible to achieve for the
majority of us.
In this final article I shall
be looking at getting the
proportions and form correct
and deciding how much detail is
actually needed.
First of all the carver needs
to be absolutely clear what
the proportions of the human
head are. Although each head is
different, the basic proportions
vary little from person to person.
It is being able to recognise these
differences that allows us to
achieve individual likenesses.

1 Looking at the head from the

side it will fit into a square, as it
is as deep, from front to back as
from top to bottom.

2 From the front, the width is

two-thirds of the height from
top to bottom. The eye line is
halfway down the head and, at
this point, the head is five eyes
wide – the distance between the
eyes and outside on each side
being equal to one eye width.

3 The distance from the eye line

to the chin can be divided into
five equal parts – two for the
nose, one more to the centre
of the mouth and two more to
the chin.

4 The distance between the

outer edges of the nostrils is
equal to one eye and the width
PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER BENSON

of the mouth is equal to the

distance between the centres
of the left and right eyes. See
diagrams opposite.

10 WOODCARVING 176
 CARVING THE WHOLE HEAD TECHNICAL

Diagrams of proportions
As mentioned above, these are for a generic head and there will be
small variations from individual to individual. These can be applied if
required once the basic shape is fully understood. Also, the proportions
I have given are for a head, not including the hair. Before setting out
your head carving, here or in general, you need to decide exactly what
you intend doing with the hairstyle and make sure that you allow
enough wood for whatever you have decided. All too often carvers
leave the decision on hair until they have carved most of the head –
this is too late.
For this exercise I have used a piece of jelutong, 50mm square
and around 300mm long. This means, using the information already
given, that the maximum-sized head I can carve will be around 50mm
long and 33mm wide, as this is the maximum length I can draw on the
end section. See picture 1a. I shall concentrate on a male head showing
the ears but, if you want a female head you can hide the ears under the
hair. 1a

1b

1c

Head drawn on end of block

Stage 1
Draw the top view of the head on the end of the block to confirm the
size and then mark out the block as shown. I have left around 18mm
between sections for ease of carving and have ended up with five
sections which should be enough.

Stage 2
Leaving section 1 uncarved move on to section 2 and remove the basic
waste wood as shown. Angle the area for the nose from the mark
showing the tip to the eye line and lower the brow until you are happy
with the profile. 2 →
WOODCARVING 176 11
Stage 3 Stage 6
Mark where the ear will be – the top in line with where the eyebrows Once you have the basic face shape you can start to add the detail. It
will be and the bottom in line with the bottom of the nose. Cut away is very easy to leave too much wood at this stage so regular checking
the waste wood from above and below the ear as shown in the picture. of your proportions is vital. I have doubts about whether, on a face of
You don’t really need a separate head to show this. this size, you should attempt to carve the actual eyeball. I think you will
have more success just carving a shadow within the eyelids. I have done
this as an illustration, but the advantage of the study piece is that you
can try out different ways of getting what you want. You can also go
back to an earlier stage and do something different. You will need to
be sure of what face shape you require. To get a masculine-looking face
an angular, slimmer shape will be more effective, whereas a feminine
face is easier to achieve if kept more heart-shaped. Obviously face
shapes vary enormously, but it is very easy to end up with feminine
male faces and masculine female faces unless a great deal of care is
taken to get them right.

Stage 4
Mark out the various parts of the face according to the diagram at the
start of this article. At this stage you don’t need detailed drawings, lines
for the sizes of the mouth and eyes will do for reference.

Stage 5
The most important cuts to make when carving a face are shown here.
Three lines can give a guide to the shape. These are the tear line from the
inner corner of the eye, the laugh line running from around the top of the
nostril down past the corner of the mouth and the jaw line from in front
of the ear under the chin. These are shown by the arrows.

Summary
In the last five articles I have covered the essentials of carving the human
face by carving study sticks. Although the repetitive aspect of carving a
stick with progressions is the main part of the learning process, you could
just as easily carve each element on a separate piece of waste wood. The
important thing is to treat each part of the carving as a practice piece and
not as an important carving that has to be done to a high standard in
order to add to your collection. Practising quality of finish and fine detail
can be a totally different exercise and can form the subject of yet another
study stick. I would advise that the more you practise carving study stick
faces the less stressful will be the process and the less chance there will
be of getting it wrong on your treasured carving.
Most of all, have fun and don’t be afraid of making mistakes or getting
5 it wrong. That is what practice is all about. w

12 WOODCARVING 176
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News
Bringing you the latest news and event details from the woodcarving community

Good With Wood

A new series from Channel 4 will showcase the skills of UK woodworkers

O ur favourite craft is coming to the small

screen later this year as the UK’s most
talented woodworkers are put to the
test in a new, six-part factual entertainment
series from Plimsoll Productions.
Presented by Mel Giedroyc, Good With Wood
will see a group of woodworkers challenged to
craft beautiful and ambitious builds to exacting
briefs. Over a series of competitive rounds
taking place in a stunning woodland setting, the
contestants will be put through their paces.
Each episode will centre around a Big Build,
in which the contestants will create large and
imaginative wooden structures and objects, as
expert judges scrutinise their designs, techniques
and skills. The competitors will be pushed to
their limits, with only one crowned as winner.
Mel Giedroyc said: ‘In the words of Ian Faith, the
manager of Spinal Tap, “... in the topsy-turvy world of
heavy rock, having a good solid piece of wood in your
hand is often useful.” I would add to that by saying that
in the topsy-turvy world of 2020 in GENERAL, having
a good solid piece of wood in your hand is pretty much
ESSENTIAL. So, if you go down to the woods today,
you’re in for a big surprise. Good With Wood is going to
be something we can all lean on. I can’t wait to make
like Edward Woodward and get WOODSWARD.’
Karen Plumb, head of factual entertainment at
Plimsoll Productions, said: ‘In a throwaway world,
more and more people are turning to woodwork
to connect them to nature and their creativity.
We’re delighted to be making this escapist PHOTOGRAPH BY MARCO VITTUR

and ambitious competition for Channel 4.’

Daniel Fromm, commissioning editor at Channel
4 Popular Factual, said: ‘Joyous, insightful and
entertaining, this series is feel-good Fact Ent
and an antidote to our times, as it celebrates
the extraordinary craftsmanship and artistry
of the country’s finest woodworkers.’
‘In a throwaway world, more and more
To learn more about the series, and
maybe even take part yourself, check @
people are turning to woodwork to connect
goodwithwoodtv on Instagram and Twitter. them to nature and their creativity.’

2020 Events
EVENTS CANCELLED
Due to the ongoing situation with Covid-19 and the current cancellation of events we’ve suspended our events list.

14 WOODCARVING 176
 NEWS COMMUNITY

BDWCA NEWS

PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE LATE DAVID ROSE FOR THE BDWCA

Front view of the Ruddy Duck Lef t view of the Ruddy Duck

N ormally in this issue I’d be telling you all about the Ward
World Bird Carving Championships in April in Ocean City,
Maryland, US, and how our members who were going to
attend had got on, but sadly this was cancelled due to coronavirus.
Since then more shows have been cancelled, including the Rutland
(whose work David greatly admired) gave it his Judge’s Choice
award, saying: ‘It’s often hard to say why we like something, why
it gives us a little surge of delight. I look at this simple carving:
the outline, the forms within; the surface and lightness of touch
with the colour; the sense of character – and just really like it.’
Birdfair, and we had to take the decision to cancel our annual Fast forward to the present day and, because we can’t hold our
show and competition, the Festival of Bird Art, which should have annual show and competition this year, we have decided to
been held in Bakewell on the weekend of 12-13 September. hold a virtual competition in its place. Each member can enter
In consequence, articles that I would usually write for the one carving – sending in four photographs (left side, right side,
next few issues have gone down the drain, so to speak, so top and front) – and the winners will be announced on the
there may be a few trips down memory lane to come. weekend when we should have been at the show in Bakewell.
Back in 2008 this magazine held its Woodcarving Competition, The corresponding photographs that David provided for the
which that year included an additional prize in the Painted competition in 2008 illustrate what will be required.
category for the best Duck, Decoy & Waterfowl Carving, and,
as stated in the editorial in Issue 103: ‘Yes, this is a blatant Contacts
attempt to encourage members of the BDWCA to enter.’ For further information on the BDWCA, including membership details,
I’m glad to say that some of our members took up the challenge, visit www.bdwca.org.uk, or contact the membership secretary: Mrs Janet
sending in the photographs required, and BDWCA member Nash, 26 Shendish Edge, Hemel Hempstead, HP3 9SZ, Tel: 01442 247610.
David Rose was awarded the Silver medal in the Painted carving Alternatively, please email: pam.wilson@bdwca.org.uk
category for his interpretive-style Ruddy Duck Hen. Chris Pye Membership includes three issues of our full-colour magazine, Wingspan.

Right view of the Ruddy Duck Top view of the Ruddy Duck

If you have something you want your fellow carvers to know, send in your news stories, snippets and diary dates to Mark Baker
at Woodcarving, 86 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1XN or to KarenSc@thegmcgroup.com

WOODCARVING 176 15
 Chainsaw sculpting
Tim Burgess presents a quick guide to this dramatic art

I n the Oxford English Dictionary the word

‘sculpture’ is stated to mean ‘the art of
making three-dimensional figures and
shapes, especially by carving wood. (Origin -
from Latin sculpere, ‘carve’)’.
Because a chainsaw-created sculpture can be
produced in a relatively short time, the price of
a unique tree, or log sculpture, is within reach
of many people’s pockets.
For anyone thinking of taking up sculpting
Lancashire, for CS30.1 and CS30.2 of an NPTC
City & Guilds Course, which is the minimum
standard for operating chainsaws and
maintaining them safely.
As a result of passing the final course
A ‘sculptor’ is defined as ‘an artist who makes with chainsaws it is essential to have the assessment, insurance for chainsaw sculpting
sculptures’. And ‘to carve’ – is ‘to shape to appropriate training to use them. in public and private places can be obtained.
produce an object’. Courses and assessment take place all over An important consideration when it comes
I have been ‘sculpting’ wood as a hobby since the UK, for example at Myerscough College, to sculpting with chainsaws is the need to have
I was a young boy and I have been sculpting
wood with chainsaws since 2005. In my late
twenties I started carving rocking horses of
various sizes, following the designs of Anthony
Dew in his book Making Rocking Horses.
I have always had a fascination with trees and
their wood. An early ambition of mine was to
join the Forestry Commission and even work in
the teak forests of Burma. But for me that was
‘the road not taken’. When I retired from 30
years of public service I realised that, as life is
short, I should indulge one of my passions.
I became a chainsaw sculptor, and it has taken
me all over the UK, Europe, the US, Canada and
even as far as Melbourne, Australia, where I
came third in a Stihl-sponsored international
chainsaw sculpting event.
For now, I am content to transform much-
loved trees, which have had to be taken down
due to disease, or because they are dangerous.
Some trees, of course, are not loved at all, but
they can still be transformed.
When tree surgeons remove a tree it is
generally sliced up into manageable pieces
and either used for firewood or left to rot.
I believe that to be left to rot, or reduced
to firewood, can be a real shame for a once-
magnificent tree which has, in its long past,
done so much for the local ecology and
environment. So, from a tree stump or a
log I create something new, which, if properly
cared for, will last a very long time. 
Creating a sculpture from trees and logs –
indeed, any wood – can take a great deal of
PHOTOGRAPHS BY TIM BURGESS

time if mallet and chisels are used. This can

result in sculptures becoming very expensive.
However, by skilfully using a variety of
chainsaws to sculpt the wood, a lot of progress
can be made in a relatively short period of time
due to the amount of wood that can be quickly
removed. And, in the hands of an experienced
chainsaw sculptor, chainsaws can be used to
create a variety of finishes. A bird of prey in oak, ready to finish – nearly 5f t tall overall

SAFETY FIRST
Woodworking tools, and particularly chainsaws, are inherently dangerous. Please make sure you comply with all the safety regulations mandated
in your country. Ensure you wear all safety equipment including body, eye, nose, mouth, face, ear, head, feet and hand protection. Make sure your
tools are correctly maintained and used in a safe manner as recommended by their manufacturer. Any deviation from these recommendations
mentioned in any article, you follow at your own risk. We show these tools being used but cannot be held responsible for any damages, death or
injury caused by their use.
→
WOODCARVING 176 17
all the appropriate safety equipment. It is wise
to always wear approved chainsaw-protective
trousers, gloves, and boots, all designed to
withstand some degree of contact with a
chainsaw. In 15 years I have not damaged
any part of my clothing – or myself – with a
chainsaw or other equipment.
Good-quality ear defenders are also essential
– mine are usually tuned into Radio 2 (or
occasionally Radio 4).
A facemask should always be worn – this is to
protect your nose and lungs from small fibres
of wood. Occasional exposure is not generally
a problem, but continuous exposure during
chainsaw sculpting can be dangerous with
certain types and conditions of wood.
Apart from the danger of small wood fibres
being inhaled, and eventually clogging up
lungs, there is also a danger from various
microscopic fungi that can be present in some
woods.
I generally use Stihl, Makita and Husqvarna
chainsaws, with Stihl and Cannon carving bars.
Saws and bars need to be maintained and
chains need to be sharp. I regularly maintain
my saws and particularly the chains I use.
Every chainsaw carving I create is a step along
the road to further developing my skills. The
more I do the better I get.
The very best chainsaw sculptors in the world
take time to study the principles of sculpture,
including form and composition, interaction,
balance, use of space and negative space,
proportion, movement/flow (including edges
and lines, and direction of action), emphasis
(including expression, posture, gesture), and
also they take great care with the detail and
spend time with smaller power tools to refine
areas and features.
Many chainsaw sculptors try to aim for some
subtle interaction between the audience and
the piece.
Personally, I am more likely to create a
sculpture which is sitting watching quietly, and
looking at the viewer, as though the viewer has
disturbed the sculpture’s quiet environment
and the sculpture is looking at the viewer.
I am happy to sculpt a piece which is in
motion, however, my personal feeling is that,
despite looking as though they could be, or are,
in the process of movement, such pieces are
actually forever held static by the restrictions
of the wood – with no ‘before’ and no ‘after’.
There are specific reference books for Sculpture of golf course architect Alister MacKenzie in progress
chainsaw carving/sculpting.
Many chainsaw sculptors in the UK do Personally, I rarely provide sketches – mainly you have a chainsaw of your own that has a
‘likenesses’ – in other words figures, shapes because I know from experience that the tree sprocket at the end of the bar.
and forms that are instantly recognisable for or log will define the actual shape. And I am The next part of the process involves
what they are. not as good at drawing as I am at chainsaw ‘shaping’. The ‘blocked-out’ shape is refined
My website – www.thetimburgess.com – has sculpting. and key elements of the final sculpture are put
many photos of chainsaw sculptures I have The initial step in the process of creating a in place. This is best done with an appropriate
created. All the designs on my website are of chainsaw sculpture is to ‘block out’. This means carving bar on a chainsaw. Obviously, once
pieces that people asked for that fitted within making very large cuts, with the biggest saws, a cut is made there is no going back. You can
their budget. to get the overall outline and general shape. only take away – as with any carving, using a
Very often, the shape and dimensions of a This part of the process is the noisiest chainsaw is a reductive process.
person’s tree or log have a big say in what can because the chainsaws used at this point At this stage a variety of chainsaws with
be achieved. are the largest. Depending upon the size of specialist bars can be used – toonie tip, quarter
They can be advised on what tree and log the log or tree, this part of the process can tip and dime tip. A dime tip means the end of
sculptures are most likely to work and those take a few hours. the bar is the size of an American dime coin.
that are less likely to work in both the short The chainsaws used at this point are Similarly with a quarter dollar coin, and the
and long term – sometimes this is due to the traditional chainsaws. The chains are tight toonie, which is the nickname for a Canadian
species of tree/log. on the bar – this is the tightness to copy if two dollar coin. The length of these bars vary

18 WOODCARVING 176
 CHAINSAW SCULPTING TECHNICAL

Details of MacKenzie

from as short as 8in to over 20in. On all these light and dark effects), and sometimes, but that affects the appearance of the front
bars the chain is run slightly slack so that it can rarely, a variety of chisels. of the sculpture.
easily move around the tip of the bar, because The final stage of creating a chainsaw Virtually all chainsaw sculptures are intended
bars with these names do not have a sprocket sculpture can take the longest time. It depends for outside display in gardens and open areas.
at the tip. upon how much detail is required. They are usually viewed from some distance
At the later stages of the process of creating As the log has been sculpted ‘in the round’, away, so less time is likely to be spent on small
a sculpture there are some elements of detail effectively out of a branch or log from near detail – unless it is specifically requested.
which are completed just with the dime tip bar, the base of a tree, or a tree stump itself, a A chainsaw sculpture can be finished by
for example, feathers and fur (although larger ‘relief cut’ can be put in the back of the carving effectively sanding it with the edge of a
bars and saws can be used depending upon – from the outermost part to the centre. This chainsaw, or it can ‘finished’ by sanding
what is being sculpted). is because the outside area of the carving will down with the variety of power tools
Many chainsaw sculptures are finished only dry first. mentioned above.
with a chainsaw, however, there are other As it dries the outside of the wood shrinks. Chainsaw sculptures can be protected with
power tools used for a greater degree of As it shrinks it will split along the path of a large number of readily available wood
finishing – angle grinders with sanding discs, least resistance – so if you put in the path of preserver products, for example Cuprinol and
power files/pencil sanders, eye tools on die least resistance at the back of the chainsaw Ronseal for rough-sawn or garden wood (it
grinders, Dremels and gas burners (for getting sculpture, it is much less likely to get a split says this on the tin).

WOODCARVING 176 19
 There are some types of wood that produce
a better finish if they are protected with, for
example, Sadolin or Sikkens for external wood.
All chainsaw sculptures should get at least
one coat of wood protection. Further coats are
always advisable but not strictly necessary.
With a chainsaw sculpture of a tree stump,
if there is going to be any rot it is likely to
come from the direction of the roots, perhaps
over quite a long period of time – maybe
years – and also where the weather hits the
chainsaw sculpture.
Some tree-stump sculptures can be sawn
off their base, but left in situ with a membrane
between the top of the tree root base and the
rest of the stump.
If the tree stump continues to grow
shrubbery and small branches where there
is bark then, in my view, let them continue
and prune as necessary – it gives the roots
something to do. This will help the tree to Il Porcellino is the local Florentine nickname  for the bronze fountain of a boar. The fountain figure was sculpted and cast
stay alive for longer – and delay its inevitable by Baroque master Pietro Tacca shortly before 1634. I thought it was great so sculpted it with chainsaws, life-sized in oak
decline – for a number of years.
There are a number of choices with
sculptured logs. They are not intended for
internal display because the wood used is
green wood – that is, a log that has not been
air dried or kiln dried. Green wood will dry
out to some extent. For example, oak takes
one year per inch of thickness – at least.
As the wood dries it will develop very
small ‘shakes’ (splits). These occur as the
wood shrinks slightly and finds the path
of least resistance through the age rings
of the tree. These shakes will very rarely
lead to the sculpture splitting in two. They
can be prevented and minimised, and they
can also be repaired.
To minimise and prevent shakes the chainsaw
sculpture is best placed in a shady area, out
of direct sunlight – perhaps where there is a
microclimate among some shrubs. Perhaps
more towards the south end of a garden or
area to avoid direct sunlight (in the Northern
hemisphere). The sculpture could be raised ABOVE: The sculpture of a dog was
up on small blocks – flower-pot raisers are someone’s much loved deceased pet
adequate ,using three to four. And any leaf BELOW: The Greenman face was sculpted as a
debris should be removed from underneath commission for John Bishop the comedian
on at least an annual basis.
Chainsaw sculptures do not have to be
regularly coated with protective coatings –
some people like to see the natural decay of
wood take place over a long period of time.
But, if looked after, chainsaw sculptures will
last for many years. w

The seven foot tall three owls in a tree are - A Wise Owl,
a Tawny Owl and a Barn Owl, with an Echidna sculpted
at a Stihl Carving competition in Melbourne, Australia
- I came third but got the highest auction price

20 WOODCARVING 176
 Keeping your edge
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 Sharpening carving tools
If you spend any time with woodcarvers, you’ll soon gain a whole new appreciation for sharp tools

arvers are fanatics about sharpness.

C They have to be. All their tools are

expected to make clean cuts in wood
regardless of the grain direction. The resulting
surface is crisp and free of tearout.
Carving tools fall into four broad categories:
chisels, gouges, V-parting tools and knives.
As you might expect, chisels have a straight
cutting edge. Carving chisels may have a single
or double bevel. Sharpening a carving chisel is
similar to sharpening a standard woodworking
bench chisel.

The range of carving tools

Gouges have U-shaped cutting edges and
vary in width and radius, or sweep. The most
common types of gouges are made with the
bevel on the outside of the sweep. These are
referred to as out-cannel gouges. In-cannel
gouges are made with the bevel on the inside
of the sweep. Gouges offer some unique
challenges in sharpening in order to maintain
the proper shape.
V-parting tools, as the name suggests,
feature V-shaped cutting edges. The angle
of the ‘V’ can vary. For the purposes of
sharpening, you can treat the bevel on each
side of the ‘V’ as a separate chisel.
Carving knives generally feature short
blades that can be straight or curved.
You would sharpen these as you might a
conventional knife.
There’s one thing I need to point out. Each
woodcarver has their own preference for
the shape and configuration of the cutting
edge and bevel on their carving tools. It is not
uncommon for a carver to regrind a tool to
suit their needs. In this chapter, we will focus
on sharpening and honing the cutting edge,
regardless of shape.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY RANDALL A. MAXEY, ANDREW GIBSON

Most carvers are all about honing and

stropping the edge of their tools frequently
while they work. Serious carvers use powered
equipment to do this. We’ll talk about a couple
of the options you can use to keep your carving
tools scary sharp.
The hobbyist carver may choose to use
sharpening stones and strops. It may take
more time to do this by hand versus using
a powered tool, but the results are no less
satisfactory. Regardless of how you decide to
sharpen carving tools, one thing to remember
is to always pull the tool away from the cutting
edge on the sharpening medium. →
WOODCARVING 176 23
Gouges
The challenge with sharpening a gouge is follow the same technique. Then you can hone gouges using a small piece of wet/dry
maintaining a consistent edge throughout work your way up through finer grits to a sandpaper or lapping film wrapped around
the sweep. This is a little easier on out-cannel more polished edge. a pencil or dowel. This makes it easy to hone
gouges since the bevel is on the outside of the One tool you can use to refine the edge the inside radius of any gouge.
blade. The main thing to remember is to keep of a gouge is a slipstone. Slipstones come A trick you can use to hone the edge of
the tool rotating as it is in contact with the in a variety of shapes to address curved or an out-cannel gouge is to use a piece of scrap
sharpening medium. unique edge profiles. wood and honing compound. You use the
The important thing to watch for is When using a slipstone, the same rule gouge to carve out a trough in the wood.
maintaining the same bevel angle. This isn’t applies – remember to always pull the Then apply honing compound to the trough.
as critical as it might be on other tools, but gouge away from the cutting edge. After Because you used the gouge to make the
you’ll get a more uniform cutting edge if you using a sharpening stone or slipstone, you trough, its profile is guaranteed to match
pay attention to this detail. will want to strop the edge to a polish. the cutting edge of the tool.
Rolling the gouge from side to side as you This is a sure way to get the sharpest Draw the tool back through the trough
move the gouge towards you is one of the keys edge possible. in the direction away from the cutting edge.
to getting a smooth edge. To remove any burr on the inside edge of a Make several passes to put a polish on the
This method is a quick and easy way to touch gouge, or when honing an in-cannel gouge, edge. You can test the sharpness of the tool
up the edge as you work. If the edge or bevel with the bevel on the inside of the sweep, by cutting into the wood. The result should
needs to be reshaped, use a coarse stone and you can use a slipstone here as well. You can be a clean cut with no tearout or chipping.

Using a sharpening stone, start with the gouge rolled to the outside corner Finish up with the sweep on the opposite corner as you finish pulling the gouge across the
sharpening stone

A curved slipstone can help sharpen the edge of a gouge

As you pull the gouge towards you, start to roll the cutting edge to the opposite side while A slipstone with a convex edge can remove the burr on out-cannel gouges or hone the
maintaining the same bevel angle bevel on an in-cannel gouge

24 WOODCARVING 176
 SHARPENING CARVING TOOLS TECHNICAL

Book Extract

Sharpening by Randall A. Maxey,

RRP £16.99, GMC Publications,
ISBN: 9781784944407 available
online and from all good
bookshops from September.

You can get creative when honing tools. Here, I'm using sandpaper wrapped around a pencil to touch up the inside edge of this carving gouge

Apply honing compound to a trough carved into the wood using the tool you want to hone Make test cuts to check your progress when honing →
WOODCARVING 176 25
V-tools
Sharpening a V-tool is almost like sharpening a pair of straight the stone to make subsequent strokes.
chisels. You can touch up the bevels easily on a sharpening stone. The point of the ‘V’ on parting tools has a small radius. You
After you hone one side of the V-tool, rotate it 90° and repeat can carefully rotate the tool on the point as you pull it across
the process. Remember to always pull away from the cutting the stone. A slipstone comes in handy to remove any burrs on
edge. Lift the tool before repositioning it at the opposite end of the inside edge.

Lay the bevel of the V-tool flat on the stone and draw it towards you, making several strokes A slipstone with a sharp edge can get into tight corners

Carving knives
You can treat a carving knife almost like any other knife when you can make a hone from almost any material. Popular
it comes to sharpening – it just requires more frequent honing options are hardwood scraps or pieces of MDF (medium-
during use. I use a sharpening stone to keep the cutting edge density fibreboard). You can shape the hardwood or MDF to
nice and straight. A coarse stone can quickly remove small nicks conform to the shape of the tool, apply honing compound, and
in the edge to restore it. you’re in business.
You can work your way through finer grits until you see a After honing, the test I use for sharpness is to make a cut
polished edge. The next step would be to use a strop. This across the end grain of a soft wood. If it slices the wood fibres
creates the final, razor-sharp edge. cleanly instead of crushing them, your knife is ready to be put
Leather is not an absolute requirement as a honing material; to work. w

Try to match the knife’s original bevel angle and push or pull the blade away from the Make several passes on a leather strop charged with a honing compound. Hone both sides of
cutting edge the knife equally

26 WOODCARVING 176
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 A motif plaque
The House of Samworth is now immortalised in a distinctive way by woodcarver John Samworth

1 Inspiration may be found at a time and reversing a letter as I have done here. The
place you least expect, so grab it and record effect here is to join the two Js together with
it whenever you can. Your camera phone is one S. You could keep your motif as simple
ideal for this. Recently, on a walk through as this or embellish it with other elements.
Falmouth, I noticed a badly weathered stone
carving over the entrance to King Charles 3 For my final design, I have framed the
the Martyr Church. There is a more modern initials within an oval border. The space I
replica carved on to the granite keystone over intend to fill is rectangular, which leaves
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN SAMWORTH

the back door. What appealed to me is the some awkward triangular corner spaces.
manner in which the letters entwine, binding These could be filled with any design that
themselves together, there to stay for eternity. you have some association with, or simply
a design you like. I have chosen the traditional
2 The initials of family members form the dogtooth and scrolls because they add an
basis of my family’s motif. By typing the air of age, an illusion of heritage to the whole
letters into a computer programme, it is design. The actual design is to be carved in
simple to test a number of designs quickly. relief into 20mm-thick lime wood of a full
To keep the symmetry of the motif, consider A4 paper size. 3

28 WOODCARVING 176
 A MOTIF PLAQUE PROJECT

4 First, you should copy the design on to your

wood. I prefer the technique of tracing or
drawing designs on to the wood, because it
begins the hand-eye learning process of the
shapes, which helps in the understanding
of the shapes within the design. Mark all
around the sides of the wood for the depth
of the carving. I would suggest an even
depth of between 10mm and 15mm.

5 Take out the wood from the centre of

the dogtooth design. Make these circular
holes using a No.8, 10mm gouge. Small
plugs of wood can be quickly extracted
leaving four tidy holes. The wood
inside the hole is fractured by the cut,
4 5 leaving the central cross design strong
and intact. Repeat on all corners.

6 Using a parting tool, trace out the intricate

sections of the design to prevent damage
to the wood fibres in places that will later
hold crisp, square edges. I have marked
with an arrow the actual cut direction of
the nearest incision, to work with the grain
keeping the central oval crisp. Make the first
cut in the waste wood. Swap hands and cut
backwards on the far side, in the opposite
direction as shown here. Remove the rest
of the waste wood using a small flute or a
veiner, down to the level of the central holes.

7 Remove the waste wood from the

corners using a skew chisel. If the
6 7 apex of the dogtooth design is in the
way it may be lowered, but keep the
green centre as the high point.

8 First with a flute gouge then with a broad

flat gouge, square off and tidy up the edges
of the design. Continue to reduce the height
of the background around the entire plaque.

9 Tip: When clearing out the small channels

between the dogtooth leaflets, it’s better
to carve into the centre of the design. If
you carve away from the centre there is a
tendency for the back of your gouge to run
across the design, leaving an indent in the
area we want to make crisp and square.

10 To start the boss leaflet, find the grain.

8 9 Here it is running left to right across the
picture. Lower the level of the unmarked
wood. Reverse the cut direction when
cutting close to the outside edge. Make
your initial cut with a veiner to prevent
the wood from crumbling. Deepen and
widen the circle around the centre.

11 I require the central boss to be the high

point, about 1mm higher than the corners.
I have shaved 2mm off the corners and
started to insert a dip between the corners. 
Here I have re-marked the corner tips
with green and highlighted with blue
the second side where to insert a dip.

10 11 →
WOODCARVING 176 29
12 The central boss requires rounding.
Using a No.8 gouge, start to shave wood
from the top, working all the time with the
grain. To complete the edges, continue the
shaving and as the gouge approaches the
edge increase the angle sharply so that,
eventually, you are cutting down vertically.

13 Your cut boss should look like the

picture here. You can see how fine the
shavings are, the underlying shape you
are aiming for and the original high point
still marked green. Shave this off too.

14 Tidy away the waste with a flute, ensure

the central ring is low to catch a deep shadow,
round off the corners of the leaflet and apply a 12 13
small rounded chamfer to the edges (optional).
Repeat the process on all the leaflets – there
are 12 of these to cut and I got better at them
as I practised. I would advise anyone cutting
these for the first time not to proceed in order
around the piece but to cut them randomly.

15 Take the background back to its

final depth and smooth off the surface.
To avoid stab marks appearing in the
smooth surface, use a parting chisel to
clean the shavings out of the angle.

16 Use a straight skew chisel to tidy the end

of the scroll. This is a sideways, slicing cut
with the grain. Stop at the top of the curve,
swap hands and work in from the other
direction. Ultimately, I want the lettering 14 15
and the oval in the centre to be the highest
points. Reduce the scroll’s height by 2mm.

17 Invert a straight, small sweep gouge and

round off the sides about a third of the
way down from the top. This is necessary
because the bottom of the scroll will curve
up to meet it, but this curve starts in the
centre of the scroll. Use a flute to remove the
wood from inside the scroll’s corners. Do not
cut back right to the edge – use the wood
left above the depth line to make the curves
flow as if one continual piece of paper.

18 Use a straight-edge chisel to tidy up the

edge of the scroll. With one clean sweeping
cut, holding the chisel horizontally with the
blade vertical, begin cutting left to right, 16 17
slowly turning the chisel until you reach the
position shown here. The chisel is vertical
but leant backwards at about 45°, cutting
downwards. Continue to turn the chisel, swap
hands and begin to cut right to left until the
chisel is horizontal in length and the blade is
vertical, opposite to the start position. Stop at
the centre and repeat the cut on the other side.

19 You are aiming for this shape. The

edges currently appear too thick, but
the extra wood will be removed by the
undercutting in the final stage.

18 19

30 WOODCARVING 176
 A MOTIF PLAQUE PROJECT

20 21 22

20 Use a flute to begin the process of

removing the waste wood from the
centre of the design, leaving the letters
as raised wood. Note the stop cuts used
to prevent the flute from slipping and
the wood from splitting into the letter
design. It is at this point the design’s
visual impact jumps out from the wood.

21 The straight skew is used to straighten

off the straight edges. Note that I still
avoid the stab cut in favour of the sideways
slicing cut. For me this leaves a clean finish.

22 Use a shallower sweep gouge – here

a No.6 with bullnose – to form the inside
23 24 curves of the letters. Remember, on
inside curves use a gouge with a greater
sweep than the curve and on an outside
curve use a gouge with a shallower sweep
than the curve. A slicing cut is used to
leave a cleaner finish than a stab. The
bullnose is essential here – if the gouge
was square, then the corners would be
digging into the wood and the centre of
the blade would not clean out the waste.

23 Cut out from the corners to prevent

wood splitting along the grain. Once a
small incision is made the edges can be
safely tidied up. Continue all around the
letters, lowering the visible parts of the
back letters (the two Js) by 4-5mm.

24 Finish off the scrolls by undercutting

the top fold of paper with a veiner.
Start about 1mm in from the edge. This
creates the illusion of a thickness to the
paper fold. Finish off the scrollwork by
undercutting the outside edges and
shaving off the construction lines. Because
I want this piece to have an appearance
of age, it is important to leave the tool
marks to show. These will catch and
reflect the light, enhancing the design.

25 I have finished the piece in simple

beeswax and hung it on the wall, just
above head height. By applying wax,
the polishing naturally brings out the
high points, which play to the light
and contrast with the shadows. w
25

WOODCARVING 176 31
 Walking stick
Paul Purnell carves a brown hare head to top a useful cane Things you will need
• Bandsaw
• Rotary carving tool

T he European brown hare (Lepus of damage to crops, and landowners • Selection of coarse and
europaeus) is widespread on low ground legally control the problem by shooting. medium burrs
throughout England, Wales, Scotland However, hare hunting with dogs, harriers • Selection of diamond burrs
and parts of Northern Ireland. Often and coursing is now illegal in the UK • Carving knife or scalpel
mistaken for rabbits, these hares are quite since the Hunting Act 2002. However, • 13mm wood drill
different: larger in size at 520-595mm; with the illegal poaching of hares with dogs, • Cushioned-drum sander
very long, black-tipped ears; large, powerful especially lurchers, is widespread. • Cloth sandpaper, 120 to 400-grit
hind legs enabling them to reach speeds • Hazel shank
of 45mph; and they have a black-topped • Buffalo horn spacer
tail. Brown hares prefer exposed habitats. • Brass ferrule
Unlike rabbits, hares neither live nor breed • Epoxy glue
PHOTOGRAPHS BY PAUL PURNELL

in burrows, but make a small depression DID YOU KNOW? • Finishing oil
in the ground, known as a form. Females The upper lip of hares and rabbits is Materials:
can have up to four litters throughout split into two distinct parts. These Eyes
February to September. For the first four fleshy flaps are like fingers that guide • 12mm brownish-orange glass eyes
weeks of their lives, the leverets gather at food into their mouths. They also Wood
sunset for their mother to feed them – other help them to crop plants close to the • Piece of sweet chestnut (Castanea
than this, they receive no parental care. ground, as there is no lip in the way. sativa) – 160 x 70 x 50mm
Brown hares do an enormous amount • Hazel shank – 915mm

32 WOODCARVING 176
 WALKING STICK PROJECT

1 Use the diagram (above) to make

cardboard templates of the side and
plan views. Use these to bandsaw out
the blank. The diameter of the hazel
shank that I intend to use for this project
is 28mm, so I suggest drawing the
width of the neck at 30mm, giving 2mm
for safety. Adjust this measurement
according to the diameter of your shank.

2 Find the centre point on the bottom of

the neck. Measure 15mm on both sides
and mark. Drill a hole to a depth of 35mm
using a 13mm Forstner bit or wood drill.

3 Draw a centreline around the entire

1 2 piece of wood for reference. Use a coarse
bullnose burr to shape the cheeks by
removing material from above and
below. Do not remove too much material
around the eye location as the hare’s
eyes bulge. Also, outline the indentation
behind the fleshy part of the snout.

4 Use the same burr to round over the

head and snout.

3 4 →
WOODCARVING 176 33
5 Sand with 120-grit abrasive on a
cushioned-drum sander. Don’t be too fussy
as this is just to enable a perspective and
symmetry check. Redraw the centreline.

6 Prepare the shank using the dowel method.

Drill a 13mm hole in the horn spacer. Dry-fit
the head and spacer to the shank. When
you are happy with the alignment of all
three, mark the positions. For protection,
wrap a piece of masking tape around the
top of the shank. Use a medium burr to
shape the neck and spacer to marry up
with the shank. Sand with 120 and 180-grit 5 6
paper on a cushioned sander. Leave enough
material for final sanding at a later stage.

7 With a coarse tapered burr, carve an

indentation in the lower and upper surfaces of
the ears. The ears are the handle and comfort
is priority. Round over the outside edges. If this
stick is for someone with small hands, consider
reducing the width of the ears. Continue to
refine the grooves with a medium flame burr.
Sand with 120 and 180-grit abrasive paper.

8 Refine the snout to its finished size. Define

the edges of the nose with a fluted cylinder 7 8
burr. The width of the nose is approximately
10mm. With a carving knife or scalpel make
the edges crisp. Define the nasal flaps by
undercutting the bottom of the two sides
with a knife. Clean up the nose with 240-
grit paper on the split-mandrel sander.

9 Draw the U-shape of the mouth as shown.

To help with symmetry when cutting, draw
in the centreline on the underside of the
mouth and equal segments either side.

10 Holding the carving knife in the vertical

position, cut along the shape of the mouth. 9 10
Then make a cut at 45° to this cut, and remove
the segment of wood. The area at the front
of the mouth is cross grain; be careful, as it
will easily chip away. Soften the hard edge
with 240-grit on the split-mandrel sander.

11 Cut the philtrum with the carving

knife. This line runs from the bottom
of the nostril to the top lip.

12 Use the diagram and your reference

material to mark the position of the eyes.
The eyes for this project are 12mm and
a brownish-orange colour. Use a pair of
pins to locate the centre of each eye. 11 12

13 Draw a 13mm square grid around this

centre point for reference. Using the medium
flamed burr, carve the eye socket. Ensure a
tight fit of the eyes, which will be fitted with
epoxy putty. If the socket is too wide, the putty
will show. Make the sockets deep enough to
accommodate both eyes and putty. A 3mm
carbide burr is handy for the final stages of
achieving the correct depth. Carefully knock
off the outside edges of the sockets with
240-grit paper on the split-mandrel sander.

14 There is a slight bulge around the eyes.

Identify where you need to remove material. 13 14

34 WOODCARVING 176
 WALKING STICK PROJECT

15 16 17

15 Use the split-mandrel sander

to define the bulge.

16 Draw on the shape of the outer

ear lobe. Use a combination of the
coarse bullnose flame and sphere
burrs to hollow out each ear.

17 The flamed burr will enable you

to carve down into the ear canal.

18 Sand the ears using drum and split-

18 19 mandrel sanders. Sand through 120, 180
and 240 grits. Test the grip on yourself
and adjust accordingly if uncomfortable.

19 Hand sand the entire piece with

240, 320 and 400-grit abrasives.
To reach inside the ear use the
split-mandrel sander or wrap some
sandpaper around a pencil.

20 Check you have removed all tool

marks by wiping over with white
spirit and viewing in natural light.
20 21 21 This the finished head, ready
for oiling.

22 Apply four coats of your choice of

finishing oil to both head and shank.
When the oil has completely dried,
fit the eyes with epoxy putty.

12 Join the head to the shank and

spacer with epoxy glue. Fit a ferrule
to the shank and your finished stick
will look something like this. w

22 23

WOODCARVING 176 35
 Icelandic bedboard
Dave Western shows how to add some Nordic style to your sleeping arrangements

Recently, it was my very good fortune to visit thick, and were decorated on one face only. image doubled or both patterns can be used
the National Museum of Iceland in Reykjavik. They appeared to be predominantly carved as I have done. Either way, the lovely knotwork
This fabulous gallery houses a treasure chest from pine and I was told the wood was features some challenging detailing, which can
of historically significant Icelandic artefacts, primarily salvaged from driftwood which be left unadorned and simple or can be lined
ranging from Viking jewellery to Björk albums would wash up on Iceland’s northern shores. out and made much more complex, depending
and for woodcarvers is studded throughout The boards were in common use from around how detailed you’d like the final piece.
with absolute gems of the woodcarver’s art. the mid 1600s through to the very early 1900s. I’ve also set this up as a two-part project
For me, one of the most exciting finds was Icelandic beds were built into the structure and in the next issue will further decorate
a small collection of bed boards, which had of the house and had an open area midway the carving with some of the wonderful
been crammed – with little fanfare – into a along one long edge of the bed where people Höfðaletur font mentioned earlier.
glass case full of carved wooden household could sit during the day. At night, the board To replicate the Icelandic pieces as closely as
objects. Although the boards were literally would be laid across this area to keep the possible, I have opted to use a fairly plain piece
simple, flat, wooden planks, it was the bedding from falling over the edge of the of white pine, which measures 18in by 6in by
passion and artistry of their decorative bed, but during the day, it would be proudly ¾in. The pine has a nice, soft yellow tone and
carving which caught my attention. These hung on the wall like the piece of art it was. is easily worked, but the tools have to be kept
boards had obviously been given either as I’ve also been told that one or two razor sharp to avoid shredding and fraying the
romantic gifts (like lovespoons or mangle people could sit on the bed, lay the board soft grain. If you print out the included sketches
boards) or as gifts of great sentiment among across their laps (plain side up) and use it to about 8in long by 2in wide, the patterns will
family members, and were rich with fabulous as a rudimentary table at mealtime. fit nicely on the workpiece, leaving an inch at
intertwining knotwork or foliage patterns The patterns carved on these boards were each end and some room along the top and
and mysterious text called Höfðaletur. as varied and eccentric as their carvers, but bottom edges for the font work later. (I left
The boards were fairly similar in size at for this one I have used a pair of simplified approximately 11⁄2in at the bottom edge and 2in
approximately 3ft long by 6in wide and 1in antique patterns. Each pattern can be mirror along the top.)
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVE WESTERN

I have included two designs, which likely date back some time into
the 1700s. Each can be flipped end to end to make a mirror-image
bedboard, or both can be used, as I have done with this sample

36 WOODCARVING 176
 ICELANDIC BEDBOARD PROJECT

Things you will need

Tools and materials:
• Carbon paper (to draw out design)
• Pair of 1in straight knives (one by
Flex Cut the other by OCC tools)
• 1⁄2in straight chisel (for clean up work
at ‘over and under’ sections)
• Cabinet scraper (for final clean
up of worked surface)
• Abrasive papers (in grades from 150-320)
• Danish oil and cheap 1in brush

→
WOODCARVING 176 37
1 Begin by laying out your plank to
accommodate the two sides of carving (either
mirror image of one drawing or use the two
supplied diagrams) and some space for letter
carving later. I left a 2in-wide space above
and 11⁄2in-wide space below the area where
the decorative carving will be. I also centred
everything and left approximately 1in of
uncarved space at each end of the plank.

2 If you have access to a photocopier, you

can expand or reduce the diagrams to
whatever size works best for you and then
simply adhere them to the board using
an all-purpose glue stick. I made mine
approximately 2¼in by 8in so they would
fit nicely on the board I had at hand. You 1 2
can also trace them on to the board using
carbon paper, which is what I did. Be careful
to secure both the tracing and the carbon
paper to ensure they don’t move around.

3 With the carving outlines in place, I

took a bit of extra time to colour in all
the sections I would be chip carving out.
This let me see the drawing more clearly
and helped to limit the chances of my
accidentally cutting into the wrong areas.

4 With the drawing neatly marked out, carving

can begin on the chip-carved sections. If you
are confident and you have a good, sharp
knife, you can make the cuts fairly deep right
off the bat, otherwise I would recommend
not cutting too deep on your initial pass. 3 4
I like to get everything cut and be certain
that all is in order before committing and
risking an error that ruins the piece. In this
case, it was probably good I left myself some
‘finishing’ room as my knife was a touch dull
on the first pass and it tore the soft grain of
the panel a bit more than I had expected.

5a & 5b I resumed cutting out with a much

sharper knife and reworked previously cut
sections to shave out any rough areas. As with
any chip-type carving, the goal is to have the
cuts meet up neatly. Symmetry also makes
the cuts look tidier and more professional,
so take care to keep all sides of the cut as
even in width and depth as possible.

6 With the bulk of the outlining cuts made, the 5a 5b

form of the design should be easily seen. Next
come some of the smaller detail cuts, which
lend shape and form to the curlicue details
around the outer edge of the pattern. These
can be undertaken in one or two quick passes
and shouldn’t be allowed to get too deep or
dramatic or they will look too unwieldy.

7 If some of the cuts are fuzzy or unruly, it may

be necessary to make additional trimming cuts
to render everything smooth and uniform.
It may even be necessary (as shown here) to
go slightly outside of the original lines. Here
the cutaway section is almost touching the
‘pinstripe’ lining, which follows the form lines
of the design. The form line will be erased
and redrawn to take into consideration the
little changes that may have occurred as
the cutout sections were being formed. 6 7

38 WOODCARVING 176
 ICELANDIC BEDBOARD PROJECT

8a & 8b With all the cutout sections carved and

tidied, the pinstripes are next to be marked out
and carved. If you have found your cutouts have
travelled beyond their original lines and are
impinging on the pinstripe lines, I would suggest
lightly removing (with very fine abrasive paper
or a sharp cabinet scraper) the remaining lines
and redrawing them. The goal is for them
to remain as consistent as possible in their
distance from any cut sections. Staying in about
1
⁄8in from the edge is the most visually pleasing.

9 It can be tricky to stay ‘on line’ when

scribing out the pinstripes. I find the safest
way to go about it is to cut a gentle 1⁄16in deep
line using a straight knife held as vertically
8a 8b as possible. Use the knife like a pencil and
carefully scribe along your pencil line while
remaining conscious of any upcoming changes
in grain direction. If you go off course, it is
still relatively easy to come back over the
area a second time and correct the error.

10a & 10b When you are satisfied the

pinstripe line cuts are all fair and on line,
make another pass with your straight knife
following along the line. This time tilt the
knife slightly somewhere between 30° and
45° and cut to a depth of about 1⁄16in, following
the line as smoothly as possible. Then repeat,
tilting the knife in the opposite direction and
removing a nice, long, thin triangular shaving.
Concentrate on not wandering in and out of
the line as even the slightest variation in the
9 10a pinstripe’s width is remarkably noticeable.

11 With the carving completed, it’s a good

idea to sand off any remaining lines and marks
and then give the piece another once over
to clean up any rough cuts, smooth out any
ragged curves and even out any wandering
lines. As can be seen in this photograph,
the swirls are both in need of some work,
especially in the tightest parts of the curves.
There are also a number of frayed and badly
cut lines, which need to be tidied up, and
the little balls need to be finish-shaped a
bit more thoroughly. I will also sometimes
use a magnifying glass to get a good look at
sections that I think might need more work.

12 The pinstripe lines really are quite tricky

10b 11 to get just right. As can be seen in this photo,
I have overdone it with the width of several
sections and this makes the lines appear a bit
cumbersome and heavy. I also think the lines
in the swirls are too wide and this has made
it hard to read the design properly in those
areas. To thin the lines down a bit, I will scrape
and sand the surface a little, while being very
careful not to develop any dips or rises.

13 Although the antique bedboards seem

to have been left unfinished, I have opted
for three coats of Danish oil with a light 1500
grit wet and dry abrasive sanding between
each coat. This leaves a light finish that
offers some protection against dirt and
spills, but doesn’t overwhelm the carving.
I will let it dry for a few days and then will begin
carving the Höfðaletur style text lettering.
12 13 That, however, is a subject for the next issue. w

WOODCARVING 176 39
 Carved bowl
Mark Baker reflects on the bowl he was once asked to carve using traditional methods

e have many requests for information on how to create a

W bowl that isn’t turned on the lathe. Many people have also
commented that they want a more organic form than can be
achieve on the lathe. Hand-working bowls gives you total control over
the shape and decoration and frees you up to create what you wish. We
took a look at how these were done of old. A variety of tools were used,
PHOTOGRAPHS BY GMC/ANTHONY BAILEY

from axes and adzes to knives of various shapes and bends, chisels of
various shapes, and specialist long blades that pivot off a fixed secure
point. There are also the modern power tools and shaping cutters that
can be fitted to an angle grinder and another modern tool that is used
by some – the chainsaw. There is still a vibrant and healthy woodworking
community that makes hand-worked/carved bowls. We then pondered
this further and looked at what tools the average woodworker is likely to
have in the workshop and from there we came up with this project. The
beauty of hand-working/carving bowls is that time is not important and
If you opt to carve or shape your bowl using an angle grinder and sanding attachment, it is quicker but
you can do it when you choose. You can also use timber that turners may incredibly dusty, and you obviously have to wear personal protective equipment – eye, face and lung
not because of size, splits and shakes, which make it unsafe for turning protection. It is not possible to extract the dust at source, so this is a job best undertaken outside in the fresh air.
but can allow you to add wonderful features and hand-worked designs. Of course, make sure you have an RCD on your electrical items

40 WOODCARVING 176
 CARVED BOWL TECHNICAL

1 We found an old, gnarly piece of

false acacia (Robina pseudoacacia) in the
workshop, which had splits and cracks in
it – useless for turning but ideal for this.

2 The hand tools needed are three carving

tools of various curves – starting with a very
deep U-curve and moving to a shallower
one, a standard bench carpenter’s chisel, a
mallet and a wire brush. If you do not have
such carving tools, you could use out-cannel
carpenter’s gouges, which have a similar
profile to the mid U-shaped carving tool.
Note the marked circle. This was created so
I could have a rough idea as to what area I
wanted to work with. Some areas were very
1 2 shallow and some deep, so I picked the best
area to create some conformity of shape.

3 Depending on the wood shape you have,

you can start shaping with a gouge almost
immediately, but I laid a circle gauge on
the top knobbly section and used it as a
template to cut around on a bandsaw.

4 It doesn’t have to be exact, but any timber

you take off makes the shaping process
quicker. Remember to follow all safety
instructions when using a bandsaw, keep
the work stable and solid and keep all
fingers out of the line of cut of the blade.

5 The issue most will encounter is how to

hold the work while you carve it. You can try
3 4 clamping it, but you need to move the work
frequently. Another option is to take a bag
of wet sand and, depending on the strength
of the bag to resist the risk of puncturing
it, you can cover it with an old blanket or
similar and this will act as your support.

6 The wet sand moulds to the shape of the

surface placed on it. It does not stop all
movement, but does minimise it enough
to work it safely. Cut the underneath of
the bowl first, then lay the knobbly bit
on to the sandbag, take the deep-shaped
gouge and start by removing the corners,
making multiple light or heavy cuts as you
choose. It is a good way of working through
the frustrations of the day as nothing cut-
wise can really go wrong. Everything can
5 6 be altered and changed as necessary.

7 There is a big jump in sequence now,

but the simple fact is you have to work
around the bowl, creating the curve and
shape you require by making repeated
cuts that minimise the risk of tearing
the grain. You can see the area that will
be the base. About one-third of the
overall diameter will be about right.

8 It can be a bit tricky near the bark edge,

especially if you wish to retain it. I did, so did
not cut directly into the bark from the solid
wood section. If that had happened, I might
well have forced the bark off, so to speak. We
can refine this bark area from the other side.
Minimise pressure on this area by cutting
obliquely, sideways or from the top
7 8 in the bark zone. →
WOODCARVING 176 41
 9 10

9 Once the outside is roughly shaped, sort

out the bottom area. A standard chisel
can make light work of creating a flat foot
for the bowl to sit on cleanly. Turn the
bowl over to work out how you wish it to
sit and cut the base accordingly. Check
often to make sure you have it right.

10 It is up to you if you leave the gouged

surface as it is or refine it somewhat. We
decided to refine the surface so it was
smooth. Take a shallower gouge or the
carpenter’s chisel and smooth out
the deep gouge marks.

11 A random orbital sander fitted with a

coarse grit makes light work of smoothing
out other surface irregularities, but of
course, the shape is not regular and even.
It gently undulates so the foam pad on the
sander gets in all of these curves nicely.
Work through the grit grades to create
the surface refinement you require.

12 A fast option is to use an angle grinder

and sanding attachments for finishing
the surface of the outside. You could,
with very coarse grit grades, use such a 11 12
system for shaping the bowl, too. There
are even special carbide disc cutters
to fit on angle grinders that help with
this type of shaping. As I said earlier,
there are so many options open to you.
Whatever route you choose, make sure
you follow the recommended safety
instructions. If power carving with
grinders, etc., the dust and debris is
considerable. Do it outside and wear face
and lung protection and gloves to protect
yourself from the dust and debris.

13 Once happy with the outside, flip

the bowl over and start shaping the
inside. You have to have a clear idea of
how you wish the bark edge to be. Other
than that, you are working from the top
gnarly face down into the centre of the
bowl with a carving chisel again – the
deep gouge works great to start with.

14 The high, sticking-out branch part

needs careful attention. An oblique cut
is better than one that starts from the
top, going down to the centre section. 13 14

42 WOODCARVING 176
 CARVED BOWL TECHNICAL

15 Keep repeating the cuts ,working

from the edge and maintaining a
relatively bark-edged rim form. Note the
smooth section on the right. I wanted to
do this inner section in two halves – one
side cut by hand and the other using
sanding discs. The sanding discs saved
more than two hours in time, though
were far more mucky. While quick and
easy to do, as long as you take regular
breaks to prevent hand fatigue, there
is something about hand-cutting with
a chisel that is wonderfully satisfying.
There is also a cost in the abrasives as
they can wear out quite quickly. Carve
the interior until you have the depth
15 16 and shape you need, then decide if you
want a smooth or carved texture.

16 The hand-cut side has grooves

running from the top into the centre,
which run in that approximate
direction, influenced by the late David
Pye, a brilliant turner and carver, who
developed a hand-operated jig to create
wonderful gouge cuts that, although
not quite uniform, were very close to
being so, hand-cut running from rim
to the centre of his work. His book,
The Nature And Art Of Workmanship, is
fascinating and well worth reading. Work
from the top of the bark edge down
to the centre of the bowl, keeping the
cuts as close as possible but allowing
17 18 the full cut of the blade width. If there
are gaps between the grooves make a
new cut in the blank area and run it as
far as you can. The depth you can go is
determined by the angle you can cut
with the straight gouges and the bevel
angle. To maintain a bevel rub cut in
the deep areas may be tricky as the
handle can foul the top bark section.

17 After the carving has been done

and you can see the gouged cuts, it is
time to clean up the bark area. Some
timbers will not require the following
treatment, but this wood is old, dirty and
the bark is gnarly, so a wire brush can
be run over it to clean it. After brushing,
clean the piece up with a soft bristled
19 brush followed by a damp – not wet –
cloth to get rid of the remaining dust.

18 Flip the piece over, wipe with a damp

cloth, let it dry then apply a finish of your
choice. I used a Danish oil, which can be
applied with kitchen towel or a cloth.

19 Once the outside is done, wipe off the

excess oil after about five minutes, then
turn it over and oil the bark edge. A brush
is the best method for getting into the
nooks and crannies of this rough bark.

20 Oil the inside using Danish oil.

When using finishes such as oil, make
sure you dispose of the old cloths
and paper towel properly to avoid
risk of fire. You now have your own
20 unique and organic bowl form. w

WOODCARVING 176 43
 An avian M
ike carved all of his life,
becoming professional
in 1986. Carving mostly
birds, he was self-taught and
took great inspiration from
the American bird carvers.

carving talent
Since Woodcarving magazine
first published in issue 115 Mike’s
carving of a European kestrel,
woodcarvers have been stunned
by his attention to detail, lifelike
renditions and realistic poses. He will
be profoundly missed and we offer
In tribute to the carving talent of Mike Wood, we proudly present our sincere condolences to his wife,
a portfolio of some of his best work from Woodcarving magazine his family and his many friends.

BULLFINCH
A relatively rare sight in many UK gardens, the
bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) is a colourful but shy
bird, one of the larger of the finch family

44 WOODCARVING 176
 MIKE WOOD TRIBUTE FEATURE

LITTLE OWLS BLUE TITS

The little owl (Athene noctua) is one of the most widely The blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus or Parus caeruleus) is a small bird in the tit family Paridae, widespread and resident
distributed species of owl, native to warmer parts of throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and western Asia
Europe, North Africa and Asia east to Korea

COCK PHEASANT
The common pheasant (Phasianus
colchicus) is a member of the family
Phasianidae. It is thought the
pheasant was introduced to Britain as
early as the 10th century
WALLCREEPER
The wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
is found in the mountains of Eurasia,
southern Europe, the Himalayas and
central China

→
WOODCARVING 176 45
 REDWING
Redwings (Turdus iliacus) are the smallest birds in the
thrush family seen in the UK

46 WOODCARVING 176
 MIKE WOOD TRIBUTE FEATURE

CANADA GOOSE
Introduced into the UK from North America, the Canada goose
(Branta canadensis) is widespread, with some 62,000 breeding pairs
and around 190,00 UK wintering birds

RINGED PLOVER
The ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula) is
a small wading bird resident in the UK and
northern France that makes its habitat around
coasts, flooded gravel pits and reservoirs

BLACK-NECKED GREBE
The black-necked grebe (Podiceps
nigricollis) is known in North
America as the eared grebe. It
occurs on every continent except
Australasia and Antarctica

WOODPECKER
The range of the black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) covers a wide area,
including Europe (apart from Ireland, the UK and northern Scandinavia), the
Middle East, Korea, Japan and China

WOODCARVING 176 47
 Carving during lockdown
In this article Murray Taylor reflects on his period of isolation with particular reference to an
unusual commission and several other projects that turned up along the way

he reality of lockdown

T really started to dawn on

me as everything became
more difficult, especially as I
had to go into isolation due to
my previous medical history.
My forthcoming club talks
were cancelled, along with
demonstrations at woodwork
shows and tool stores and
I began to consider some
experimental projects that I had
long thought about but never
had time to work on, but how
different this lockdown time has
turned out to be.
As chair of my local carving
club I was worried that people
would drift away as we could
no longer meet, so I decided to
email a weekly bulletin to the
members and encourage them
to send pictures of what they
were working on. This worked
well and I started the long-
awaited tidying of my workshop.
Then my phone rang.

The first job

The call was from a gentleman
who told me he had been tidying
his drawers – didn’t we all in the
early days of lockdown? – and
that he had come across one of
my brochures. It transpired that
he had picked it up over two
years earlier but now decided to
commission something for his
father to cheer him up during
that difficult period. He first
suggested a spoon idea, but when
he told me what he wanted to
include in the carving we changed
the idea to a wall plaque. His
instructions were to include the
Fleur-de-Lis of the Boy Scouts
movement, the Masonic square
and compass, and the Lancastrian
rose. This all seemed fine until
he then suggested that he would
like a Greenman image to also be
represented.
My first thoughts were that the
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MURRAY TAYLOR

three emblems represented very

geometric shapes, whereas the
Greenman did not really fit in.
I started by drawing the three
symbols to see how they fitted
together and then thought about
how the branches emanating
from the Greenman could
envelop them.

48 WOODCARVING 176
 CARVING DURING LOCKDOWN PROJECT

The three symbols The Greenman, the three symbols and the interconnecting The outline of the pattern has been cut out
branches drawn on to a piece of lime wood approximately
350 x 150mm

There was quite a lot of trial and error getting the overall design to come together and I was eventually happy with it, especially after cutting out
the basic outline. The next job was to cut out all the internal sections of the drawing and on any complex pattern such as this one I recommend
that you mark the areas to be removed, it can save some costly errors.

The areas to be pierced marked in red Removing the marked areas on the scrollsaw All the piercing work completed

Having reached this stage, it was time to take a long, careful look at how the various levels would work between the differing elements of the
design, the interlacing of the branches and the relative depths of the three symbols.

Carving down the levels between the geometric elements of The levels of the face were now designated by numbers Modelling the face →
the design

WOODCARVING 176 49
Modelling the square and compass Carving the Fleur-de-Lis Working on the Lancastrian rose

Carving the face required very fine skew chisels Some small skew blades. Lef t to right: a homemade one, then Creating the barked effect on the branches using a curved
a modified Flexcut, a Swan Morton scalpel and, finally, two V-tool
Peter Benson skews by Ashley Iles

Needs must when Going deeper into lockdown

the devil drives Having finished and dispatched the wall
Lockdown meant that I could not get out, plaque commission I was about to return to
which created a problem in respect of the fact the sorting out of my workshop, servicing
that my wife’s birthday fell in early May and the machines, making a few alterations and
I was unable to buy a card. Does this deter a changes when I began to wonder what I could
woodcarver? Of course not, I simply made one. do to help others. Not much, I thought, but
This does not warrant any great explanation, stories of parents having problems with young
just two pieces of lime, the upright being children at home during lockdown gave me an
mortised into the base, some free-form idea. I could make toys and puzzles to give to
lettering, and a little chip-carved decoration. families in the area, and so the work began.
Not at all difficult but it might just give you The first project was to make a doll-sized
some ideas. colonial-style rocker and decorate it with chip
carving. I first made a mini cardboard model
and, when I was happy with the proportions,
made a working drawing.
It didn’t take long to cut out the components,
but some care needs to be taken in aligning
the mortise and tenon joints. I found that the
hardwood pegs were specific to their positions,
so I numbered each one as I adjusted them for
a tight fit. When all the parts fitted together, I
took the chair apart and drew all the decorative
patterns, then I took advantage of some sunny
afternoons to do some relaxed al fresco chip
carving. Finally, the wood was sealed and the
components lightly sanded. The rocker was
assembled and pegged and it quickly found a
The completed carving on an oak backboard The birthday ‘card’ (Cariad means darling in Welsh) home where a little teddy bear rocks contentedly.

50 WOODCARVING 176
 CARVING DURING LOCKDOWN PROJECT

Above and below: The design drawn on to a lime wood board

Carving the seat

The components cut out on a scroll saw and the chip carving The carving completed on the back and the seat The completed chair finished with a sanding sealer and
design drawn on light stain

Lockdown marches on
As we got deeper into lockdown I made
some jigsaw puzzles and other toys for local
children, no carving but a lot of scrollsaw
time. Then someone in the small community
where I live suggested some form of thank
you for the local food shops that had not only
stayed open, but went out of their way to help
those of us in isolation. Various things were
planned in accordance with social distancing,
but I settled on making something for the
local butcher who had so kindly delivered
meat to the door each week.
I decided to make a plaque to hang in the
window of the shop. The design of this piece
is of a specific nature, but it may give you
some ideas for something you would like to
make. I usually describe a project by showing
a photograph of the drawing, however in this
case I made it up as I went along, so I will start The completed plaque. Pori Gwych is the name of the butchers-come-delicatessen. It translates from Welsh as
with a photo of the finished object. Wonderful Grazing. The word ‘diolch’ means ‘thank you’. It measures 400 x 200mm (16 x 8in) →
WOODCARVING 176 51
Roughing out the sausages with a rotary sander Dedication to the cause – I had to make 16 of these Chip carving the lettering

The pictures are more or less self-explanatory.

I drew the words and animals on tracing
paper and juggled them around to get a
balanced result. The 16 sausages were glued
around the backboard and then it was cut
to the finished shape. The edges and the
sausages were finished with progressively
finer abrasives and the whole thing given a
coat of sanding sealer.

Clamping the sausages Scrollsawing round the board

Thinking outside the box

I have long been interested in old clocks and have often thought it
sad that the striking and chiming mantel clocks of the 1950s and 1960s
have fallen out of favour, I am not, of course, referring to the beautiful
cabinetmaker cases of earlier years but the everyday dome-shaped clocks
that adorned the mantelpieces of most British homes. The cases of these
clocks were mass-produced using plywood and veneer and are now to be
found in a sorry state in every auction room and secondhand shop.
You may wonder where this is leading. Well, within each of these
horrid cases lurks a well-made movement, the majority of which were
made in Scotland, England and South Wales. So what has this to do
with carving during lockdown? I have had the time to experiment
with scrapping the cases and mounting the movements so that their
intricate moving parts can be seen.

DID YOU KNOW

One winding square is only a timepiece, two winding squares is a striker,
while three winding squares is a strike and chime.
Typical 1950s clock

This clock movement project is in its early

stages, but I intend to develop it, making
hardwood stands and covering them with
plastic domes or possibly a glazed case. There
is a lot of scope for further development
with this idea, which I hope will save some
otherwise doomed movements.
This is a record of what has kept me busy so
far during this difficult period. I feel that time
in my workshop has helped to keep me sane,
not that my wife agrees, but at least it stops me
getting under her feet.
So as always, don’t carve when you’re tired,
strop regularly, practise, practise, practise and,
above all, stay safe. w

The experimental mounting A side view of the mounting

52 WOODCARVING 176
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Knife grips for carving wood
Adrian Lloyd shares the fourth and final article in a series exploring traditional carving techniques

I n this series we have focused on some

simple and, most importantly, safe knife
grips and cuts for carving wood. In the first
article we considered powerful wasting strokes
made away from the body for removing
a really effective knife grip for finishing the
workpiece and shared some techniques
that were useful for adding decorative
details to make your projects unique.
We have deliberately reproduced some
section, often used in the Swedish sloyd
system of carving and known as ‘try’ or
‘test’ sticks, or nice flat pieces of timber to
demonstrate the decorative techniques.
In this final article in the series we shall be
large amounts of wood quickly and safely text from the previous articles here as it considering how all of the techniques shared
after initially roughing out a project with the remains relevant. It would be unsafe to in the previous three articles can be used
axe (although I feel sure some would also assume that all who read this also enjoyed together to complete a project. The project
opt to use a bandsaw for this stage). In the reading the first three articles in the series, we will be focusing upon is the carving of
second article we explored finer cuts and so to include some of the original context a simple, yet functional, eating spoon.
techniques that were useful for refining the and safety notes seems eminently sensible. We have chosen green, knot-free and
shape of the project being worked on, with In our previous articles we were purposely straight-grained timber to carve our
some explanation and guidance about how demonstrating the knife grips and the cuts spoon from as it allows us to easily work
to safely carve towards the body. Then, in they made using either long pieces of wood with the grain of the wood to produce
the most recent article, we demonstrated that were square or rectangular in cross a strong product with a clean finish.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MEAGHAN LLOYD

Starting with a quarter log clef t section of frozen fresh birch The clef t section is cleaned up and rough-shaped to a ‘billet’ I like to use templates to mark the profile of designs
(stored in the freezer) I carve regularly

54 WOODCARVING 176
 KNIFE GRIPS TECHNICAL

All the knives we will be using during from powerful wasting strokes away them as slowly as you can, and really focus
this article are Hewn & Hone blades, hand from the body to more precise cuts made on your body position and the position of
forged using bearing steel from both flat towards the body. Done correctly all both the knife handle and the cutting edge
and round bar, precision heat treated and cuts can be made safely, but there is no while making the cut. This will not only
then ground and sharpened by hand using substitute for seeking instruction from a encourage you to improve your technique
the Hewn & Hone sloyd jig and the small suitably qualified or experienced teacher. as you practise but will also help to ensure
knife jig. They are then honed to a razor- The knife grips have been passed down that every cut is as efficient as it can be.
sharp yet durable finish using our range of through generations of carvers, and it is likely
adhesive-backed abrasive papers. We will that wherever in the world craftspeople A note on grain – or fibre direction
be hollowing the bowl of our spoon using are using knives to carve wood they will When carving it is important to only ever
Nic Westermann hook knives, although for always be using similar grips. This is because carve ‘downhill’ following the direction of the
the purposes of this article the bowl carving they are proven to be not only safe done grain to ensure that we cut through the fibres
will happen ‘off screen’ – using hook knives correctly, but efficient for the task in hand. cleanly, leaving a smooth finish. As soon as we
requires a different set of techniques that start to carve ‘uphill’ our sharp edge comes
are beyond the scope of these articles. The knife grips into contact with the ends of the fibres and
I am writing the article from the position There are many different knife grips, maybe wants to lift them. Not only will you notice that
of being a right-handed carver – that about 15 in common use, and they are designed this will be far harder to do but it is virtually
is, I hold the knife in my right hand and to achieve different outcomes towards impossible to achieve anything near a clean,
the piece I’m working on in my left. completion of a project. Some carvers adapt smooth finish when carving against the grain.
A reminder from our previous articles that the knife grips to suit a particular application, When teaching I often liken this to stroking a
a well-maintained sharp knife is essential although this should only be attempted by cat, dog or any other haired pet one may have.
for these cuts, not only from a position of experienced carvers who understand the Most pets prefer to be stroked in the direction
safety but to ensure that the finishing cuts way their knife moves in relation to their in which their hair lies flat, as opposed to
being made leave a series of flat facets body position and the piece being worked. the other way in which their hair is ruffled
with an almost mirror-like quality to the People develop favourites depending on the upwards, if that makes sense. Another way of
surface. We are aiming for these cuts type of work they commonly do, and will describing the process of carving downhill is if
to produce the final finish on the piece consequently find some challenging if they are we think of the fibres in the wood as the pages
being worked upon, rather than accepting not practised regularly. In this series of articles, of a book – we can move our thumb cleanly
that our final finish will be achieved by we have shared some of the most widely down the pages like we would with an old-style
working through a range of abrasives. used grips, all with positional safety built in. flick book without effort, whereas as soon as
There several different knife grips or When practising any of these knife grips we move our thumb in the opposite direction
grasps that we use when carving, ranging and the cuts they make try to execute the pages get stuck or begin to crease.

Safety
• Keep your carving knives sharp. A dull
knife requires more force to achieve a
lesser-quality finish, and with more
force comes a decreased degree of
control of cut.
• Some carvers choose to wear a Kevlar
Laying out the spoon design to follow the direction of the grain glove on their workpiece holding hand
to protect against a slicing cut. These
gloves will not protect from a stab cut.
Wearing a glove does restrict your feel
for what you are doing and can lead to
complacency and the development of
poor technique.
• For cuts towards the chest, some choose
to wear an apron or protective bib. Others
are happy to gradually wear holes in their
most worn work shirts.
• A leather patch tied with some twine will
help to maintain the life of your fancy suit
trouser legs.
• Have a first aid kit to hand with different
sized plasters and steristrips (adhesive
wound closures) and make sure you know
Ensuring that the direction of cut always goes downhill to avoid lif ting the grain how to use them. →
WOODCARVING 176 55
The process
We will now revisit all the knife grips
described throughout the previous three
articles in the order they were first shared,
but this time identifying where they are
most usefully and effectively employed
while carving our project spoon.
To illustrate the process, we are beginning
with a spoon blank that has been prepared
from a cleft billet and then roughed to
shape using our carving axe. As previously
mentioned, some carvers opt to use a
bandsaw for this stage, and it is also now
possible to order spoon blanks online from
a number of makers in several countries
across the world. This is definitely a viable
option for those people who just want to
carve and don’t have access to an axe with
the skills to use it accurately and safely, or
to fresh green wood suitable for carving.
This makes the craft of spoon carving even The spoon blank roughed to shape with the axe, working as The back of the blank is also roughed out to profile with
more accessible than it was previously. close to the profile as your skills allow the axe

Forehand grip Drop-shoulder forehand grip

This powerful wasting stroke is predominantly the first of the This is a particularly useful grip to use if, for whatever reason, you
knife grips likely to be used once commencing carving on your have left your blank far too chunky. Almost all carvers beginning
spoon. It is most effective for removing excess material from the their journey with spoons begin with a blank that is far larger than
back or the underside of the handle, all the way from the back of that required for their intended design. Although, to be fair, a great
the bowl and off the end of the handle. Some carvers also use the many beginner spoon carvers finish with a spoon that is far smaller
forehand grip to remove material from the underside of the front than they had initially intended. The drop-shoulder forehand grip
of the bowl, although I personally find one of the other grips far allows for more power to be added to the cuts that would normally be
more effective when working on this area. Using the forehand made with the simple forehand grip, such as those identified above
grip should make it possible to take the underside of the handle – the back of the handle and the underside of the front of the bowl.
to virtually finished dimensions, leaving just some refining of In some ways it may be a more effective technique for beginning to
the shape to achieve with one of the more controlled to cuts. add some of the contoured profile at the front underside of the bowl.

Using a skewed forehand grip to effectively remove material from the back of the handle The drop-shoulder forehand grip is more powerful and removes material quicker but with
less control

Chest lever grip

I particularly favour this grip and often use it in place of both
the forehand grip and the drop-shoulder forehand grip. I
find that I can deliver more controlled power when working
the underside of the handle, and using the chest lever makes
working the front of the underside of the bowl an absolute
pleasure. When we talk about working the front of the
underside of the bowl we are talking about working from the
deepest point on the back of the bowl forwards towards the
back of the rim, where the underside of the spoon is going
to meet your lip when in use. A useful feature of the chest
lever grip is that it is far easier to control both the power
and the direction of the cut being made than it is with the
previous two grips. It is possible to slow the speed of the cut
being made right down yet still use the powerful back and The chest lever grip works well for both the front of the bowl and the back of the handle,
shoulder muscles to remove significant amounts of material. always carving downhill

56 WOODCARVING 176
 KNIFE GRIPS TECHNICAL

Reverse forehand grip Knee brace

The reverse forehand grip is the perfect choice for finishing the back The knee brace is a grip or technique that I use infrequently. While
of the handle. The slow speed, combined with the amount of control it is another really effective technique for producing controlled cuts
this grip affords, produces a wonderful planed finish and is ideal that can leave a smooth planed finish, I generally find myself using
for creating clean facets on the back of the handle. We can work the reverse forehand grip instead. One area, although unrelated to
all the way from the back of the bowl, down through the ‘keel’ and this article, where the knee brace excels is for the process of making
off the end of the handle in one smooth controlled cut. Combining ‘feather sticks’ used in the lighting of campfires. We won’t explain
the progression from the forehand grip, where we removed the this here but a quick internet search will provide you with numerous
bulk of the excess material, to the reverse forehand grip, where we references to feather sticks – with almost as many references as to how
create a flawless planed finish, shows how the back of the handle to produce them. From purely a spoon carving point of view the knee
can be effectively completed using just these two knife grips. brace can be employed for working the back of the handle, creating
clean facets to leave a comfortable stick with your bowl on the end.

Using the reverse forehand grip to create a smooth, planed finish on the back of the handle I like to use the knee brace grip to create smooth facets that make up the cross-sectional
profile of my handles

Off the knee Pull stroke

This is another technique that I rarely use as I find the Although the simple pull stroke is one of the cuts that is made
chest lever grip a more effective method to achieve the towards the body, it is possibly one of the most useful and effective
same outcomes. The off the knee technique is a relatively of the knife grips in the spoon carver’s toolbox. It can be deployed
powerful grip and can be used to remove large amounts for most areas of a carving project to good effect. Areas where
of material quickly, but this comes at the expense of the the pull stroke is most effective are when working the upwards
level of control over the direction of the cut being made. It facing surface of the handle and the side of the handle, working
is probably best reserved for removing material from the from the tip of the handle down to the junction where the handle
underside of the handle away from the bowl, and for rough- meets the neck or the back of the bowl. As the workpiece is in so
shaping the front underside of the bowl. As mentioned, close to the body, right under your eyes, it is possible to slow the
though, I really favour the chest lever grip for both these speed of the cut right down to produce extremely finely finished
areas due to the additional level of control it affords. details and facets. The pull stroke allows so much control of
both speed and direction of cut it could almost be considered
a finishing cut as well as what can be called a process cut.

Using the off the knee grip to remove excess material from a handle end that is too thick The simple pull stroke (the un-reinforced version) for working a clean cut from the deepest
part of the back of the bowl down the entire length of the handle

WOODCARVING 176 57
Reinforced pull stroke Draw grip
The reinforced pull stroke can be used to provide a little I almost exclusively use the draw grip for finishing the ends of
extra power or control for small areas that are sometimes my handles. The range of movement is limited due to the length
more challenging to carve. I find it particularly useful for of stroke being restricted by the amount of squeeze as the fist is
‘dressing’ the top of the front of the bowl to a flat, level made, but it is just perfect for working that end grain at the end of
surface prior to hollowing with the spoon knife, and for the handle. If the cut is made with a skew, with the tip of the knife
working the back sides of the bowl where it meets the neck trailing, a really nice, polished finish can be achieved on the cross-
or handle. The reinforced pull stroke excels when working section profile at the end of the handle. It is also effective if you wish
the back sides of the bowl as it is in this area that you are to add some facet details to the ends of your handle rather than the
quite often working with end grain, which is far harder than handle ending at an abrupt right angle. I always like to finish with
working with the direction of the fibres in your spoon. a very subtle chamfer to the ends of my handles – not only does
this look good but it makes for a far more durable spoon in use.

The reinforced pull stoke is useful for working the sides of the handle down towards the The draw grip makes short work of trimming across the end grain at the end of the handle
back of the bowl

Thumb joint grip

The thumb joint grip is a really useful
grip for finishing around the rim of the
bowl of your spoon, particularly at the
front of the bowl. It is very controlled so
extremely fine cuts can be made that
enable an accurate and true profile to
the edge of your bowl. I use this grip a
lot for adding micro chamfers to both
the inside and outside edges of the bowl,
making the spoon extremely durable
in use at the same time as making it
feel good in the mouth when in use.

Using the thumb joint grip to take the edges The results of using the thumb joint grip effectively
of the bowl to a finished smooth profile

Reinforced thumb joint grip

This is very similar to the thumb joint grip described above except
that, through using the fingers of our opposite hand to provide
additional support to the cut, we can finely control the direction
and strength of cut being made. I use the reinforced thumb joint
grip to define the back of the rim of the bowl, from the broadest
part of the spoon bowl to the junction where the bowl meets either
the neck or the handle of the spoon. This is another area where we
are working across the ends of the fibres and it is a more difficult
cut to make than when we are working with the direction of the
grain. I also often use this grip if my spoon has a transition from the
handle into a definite ‘neck’ before it reaches the back of the bowl.

The reinforced thumb joint grip to

carefully trim the end grain profile
at the leading edge of the bowl

58 WOODCARVING 176
 KNIFE GRIPS TECHNICAL

Thumb push
As shared in the previous article, the thumb push is an often- bumps or imperfections in the quality of finish. The thumb push is also
underrated cut, yet some carvers use it for the majority of their carving. a really useful technique for addressing difficult grain in the neck of
If I had to define areas that I particularly favour this technique for your spoon. Generally, carvers struggle with the change in direction
I would most probably start with using it to finish the front half of from the back of the bowl of the spoon up into the handle. The grain
the back of the bowl. This is one area where I feel the thumb push changes direction as we move from a high point to a low and then
outperforms all other grips in that it affords the ability to have precise back to a high again, where we have created a little valley that is the
control over a very small area of work. The back of the bowl needs a neck of the spoon. As soon as we begin to carve uphill the fibres will
carefully considered finish – especially if the spoon is designed for lift, so we come back at it from the other direction to leave a smooth
eating with. Our mouths are extremely sensitive and will easily identify area. The thumb push with the fine control it allows help to remedy
any areas that just aren’t right, from being oversized to having lumps, this particular challenging aspect that most beginners struggle with.

The thumb push excels at dealing with changes in the direction of the grain and is especially The thumb push on the back of the bowl
useful for this area in the ‘neck’ of a spoon

Decoration
There really isn’t a lot to add here about decoration that hasn’t
been shared in the previous article. Once you are happy that
the carving of your spoon is complete and there are no further
refinements to make to shape, proportion or finish, decorative
details can be left to your imagination and creativity. I don’t like to
mix both chip carving and kolrosing on the same spoon, but that
is a purely personal preference, and some spoons call for being
left as they are – especially if the grain is particularly striking and
you know that a coat of oil will really make it pop. Some spoons
benefit from subtle detailing while others cry out for complete
extravagance – the choice is up to you. Have fun experimenting.
And remember, all these techniques are safe to use when carried out
correctly. If it feels awkward and unsafe that is usually an indication
that something about your technique isn’t quite spot on. Always be
aware where the edge and the tip of your knife will end up once you’ve
completed your intended cut. If there’s something in the way then you
need to consider what it is that your body is doing to make it like that.
We hope you have enjoyed the journey through our recent
series of articles and, more importantly, have been able to
learn some valuable skills and techniques that inspire you
either to begin your own journey or start exploring how these
methods can be used to enhance your existing projects.
Stay safe, and happy carving. Carved, detailed and painted spoons

HEWN & HONE

This article is brought to you by the team at Hewn & Hone. The team comprises: Nic Westermann,
a blacksmith and creator of carving tools and sharpening accessories; Don Nalezyty, an IT specialist
and respected Kolroser and carver; Alex Yerks, an internationally renowned green woodworking
teacher and kuksa carver; and Adrian Lloyd, a UK-based full-time craftsman, teacher and toolmaker.
To learn more visit: www.hewnandhone.co.uk

WOODCARVING 176 59
 Pierced archer panel
Mark Gough carves a pierced and carved wall panel inspired by a local legend

I ’ve chosen a local legend as

the inspiration for this article.
Nottingham is, of course, known
for being the home of Robin Hood
and his statue adorns the entrance to
the castle. I wanted to explore pierced
relief carving and came up with this
design. The pose has been adapted
from free-to-use online sketches of
basic body shapes with added detail
to suit the subject. I have selected
European oak to tie in with the Major
Oak of Sherwood Forest and added
some leaf and acorn embellishment to
fill in the blank spaces. Depending on
where it will be placed when finished,
I may decide to fit a background
board of a contrasting wood or flat
colour. The tree has been carved
out with a V-tool to give a textured
bark appearance and to emphasise
the smooth detail of the archer. The
inevitable happened during the
carving process and the arrow broke
off across the short grain area. I
have shown how to repair this but in
hindsight I would have shaped this
with a small rotary burr instead of a
gouge and probably designed it in such
a way as to support the narrow part
better. The carving tools suggested are
what I have in my collection and not
specific to this project – use what you
have that works best.

Things you will need

• Jigsaw
• Router
• Hinge mortise router cutter
• Pillar drill press
• Rotary micromotor

Tools
• 3mm and16mm wood drill bit
• Half-round and flat wood rasp
• V-gouge
• 3mm, 16mm, 22mm shallow gouges
• 12mm, 18mm, 20mm fishtail gouges
• 6mm skew chisel
• 12mm, 16mm flat chisel
• Palm gouges
• Needle files and small rasps
• Rotary burrs
• Sandpaper
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK GOUGH

• Carving knife
• Small brass wire brush

Materials
• European oak (Quercus robur) 550mm
x 340mm x 25mm
• Danish oil
• Clear paste wax

60 WOODCARVING 176
PIERCED ARCHER PANEL PROJECT

→
WOODCARVING 176 61
1 Grounding out
Fit a hinge mortise cutter with a template
guide into the router and set the depth of cut
to 5mm. Using the plans cut a template of the
arch from plywood and fix it to the panel with
double-sided tape, then route out the internal
shape. Use a scrap of plywood for support as
you remove the waste. This stage can also
be done the traditional way with a shallow
gouge, working a few mm in from the edge.
Clean up the outline af ter.

2 Transferring pattern
Make a copy of the pattern and cut out the 1 2
arched shape, then place it snugly into the
routed area of the panel. Drill a series of
reference holes in the pierced areas, transfer
the pattern to the back of the panel, matching
up the reference holes, and trace the lines on
to the surface. You should now have a replica
of the image in exactly the same position but
on the reverse of the panel.

3 Piercing the panel

Drill a large hole through the centre of each
pierced section to allow access for the jigsaw
blade then cut out each one, keeping inside
the lines. Check to see that they match the 3 4
ones on the front when you start of f and keep
checking as you go. This can be done with a
scrollsaw without the need to transfer the
pattern in step 2.

4 Cleaning up the edges

Clean up the edges as you go, checking the
outline of each section. You can do this with
a fine rasp. The sections will be sanded down
once the carving is complete.

5 Laying out
The detail can now be marked in on the front
surface ready for carving. 5 6

6 Separating the image

Start by cutting a V-groove to separate the
main image from the tree. Keep to the tree
side of the line where the level will be reduced
and separate the sections of the tree at the
same time.

7 Carving the tree

Using a selection of suitable shallow gouges
start reducing the depth of the tree and
separating the limbs, then round over the
edges. Carve each limb at a different depth to
get maximum 3D effect.
7a 7b
8 Carving the legs
Turn your attention to the archer and begin
with the legs, reducing the depth slightly and
rounding over the edges. The left knee and
right foot will be the highest points. Carve
away more of the tree to make the legs stand
out if necessary.

9 Body
Move on to the body of the archer, round
over the sides and relieve the belt and buckle.
The highest points of the upper body will be
both hands, which can be lef t untouched at
this stage.
8 9

62 WOODCARVING 176
 PIERCED ARCHER PANEL PROJECT

10 Bow
Make a stop cut with a knife around the outline
of the bow where it lays over the tunic. Do this
in one firm cut to separate the fibres, then
carve away the knee up to this line. Be careful
not to lift the wood on the bow.

11 Repeat the process for the arrow shaft

using a straightedge as a guide. This is a
delicate area due to the short grain, so round
it over with sandpaper as soon as you have
finished carving away the shoulder to prevent
it from chipping. The top of the shoulder will
10 11 be the lowest point here.

12 Forearm and head

Shape the forearm on the left of the panel
and the basic shape of the head. Refine any
areas to the correct depths on the body so that
each part of the image looks in proportion to
the others.

TOP TIP: SANDING

Before the detail can be added the areas need
to be sanded smooth. Take time to refine the
shape at this stage and correct any errors, for
example the width of the leg and position of
12 the knee. Use strips of sandpaper to round over
the back edges slightly – this will add to the
relief effect.

13 Leg detail
Draw in the folds and lines of the trousers then
use small nail-head burrs in a rotary power tool
to cut these in. Alternatively, use a V-gouge.
With a small shallow gouge undercut each fold
and sand smooth, then use a fine needle file to
cut in the lines of the wraps on the lower leg.

14 Texturing the tree

It is a good idea to add texture to the tree as
13 14 you progress with the main image detail in
case you need to make any slight alterations
to the depth. For this use a V-gouge and carve
short, wavy, overlapping lines. Tilt the gouge
from lef t to right to get a realistic ef fect.
Clean out the fibres with a brass wire or firm
bristled brush.

15 Belt buckle and tunic

The belt buckle is shaped by making fine stop
cuts with a knife and paring away up to these
lines. The tunic detail is cut in with a V-gouge,
– make short little taps with a mallet to control
the cut.
15 16 16 Shaping the arm
The back of the outstretched arm is carved
out to make it stand proud of the surface.
This is an area that draws the eye and would
look too heavy, by doing this it appears in
proportion to the rest of the carving. The wrap
on the front of the arm is detailed in the same
way as the leg wrap.

17 Face
Cut the facial features in with a rotary unit
and a selection of burrs – small round carbide,
small flame diamond and small nail-head
diamond burr. The back of the head has been
carved away in the same way as the arm to
17a 17b make it appear to stand off the background. →
WOODCARVING 176 63
18 Carving the oak leaf
Mark out the position of the double oak leaf
at the bottom of the panel and outline it
with a V-gouge, then draw in a pencil line
approximately 5mm away all around
the shape.

19 Leaf, removing waste

The oak leaf is carved in shallow relief. From
the pencil line carve out the waste with a small
shallow gouge up to the outline.

20 Leaf, cutting in
Cut in around the leaf with a 2mm-deep flute 18 19
gouge to tidy up the outline.

21 Leaf detail
When you have carved all three leaf and acorn
parts sand the surrounding areas down and cut
in the leaf veins with a V-gouge. The dimples
in the acorns can be achieved by rounding the
end of a wire nail and using it as a punch.

22 Finished arrow repair

Clean out all the texturing and sand down the
archer and edges and front of the panel ready
for finishing. Position the panel at the final
viewing height and check the proportions and 20 21
thickness of the arms, body, head and bow.
Make any adjustments then sand the reverse
of the panel.

Finishing
The panel has been finished with two coats
of Danish oil then denibbed and coated with
clear paste wax and buffed to a light sheen.
Depending on where it will be situated the
option of a backing should be considered. This
will probably have a dark-green backing when
hung on the wall to contrast nicely with the
oak – probably Lincoln green, which will tie in
with the subject perfectly. 22

Repairing the arrow

The arrow broke away in the carving process. To repair it a flat spot a piece of waste and fixed in place with small dots of a mixture of
was cut into the end of the shaft and a small V cut into the tree superglue and sawdust.
where the arrowhead sat. Then a replacement part was cut from

Preparing the end of the shaf t Fixing the replacement arrow

64 WOODCARVING 176
 FROM THE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

From the community

We have received lots of correspondence from readers letting us know what they’ve been doing
and how they’ve been coping with the coronavirus lockdown. It’s been a difficult time for us all, but
it has also inspired lots of creativity. Here’s a selection of readers’ letters that caught our attention

Who’s a pretty boy?!

I hope you are surviving these difficult times. At least was whispering something in his ear. The man looked
there is rather more time to carve. I have recently over his shoulder with an expression of horror as if to
finished a pair of carvings with a common subject, say: ‘You haven’t done it down my back, have you?’,
which have caused some amusement with my carving which led to the first carving. The second was the
group online. parrot’s response: ‘It’s all right, I’ve found it, it’s down
One day I was at a traction engine rally when I saw a here.’ Both carvings are in maple.
man with a parrot on his shoulder, which looked as if it Regards, Peter Downham

Turning waste wood into avian art

In common with many others, I guess, the need
to socially isolate during these unprecedented
times has given me the opportunity to spend
even more time in the workshop with my lathe
and carving tools. Many projects have already
been completed, and I have found myself with
lots of scraps of waste wood on my bandsaw
table. It seemed a shame to put it all in the bag
for the wood burner, and so, inspired by the
Cuban woodcarvers in a previous issue. I have
set about producing some simple creations
combining the different colours and textures
of the various timbers. They are fun, and quite
easy to make, and although I have chosen to
construct birds, there is certainly scope for
other creatures. This could also make a simple
introduction for anyone starting out with
woodcarving/sculpture, as it is possible to
make them with relatively few specialist tools.
Regards
Cedric Boyns
Cornwall Woodcarvers →
WOODCARVING 176 65
Staying inspired while socially distanced
During the lockdown, I think it is important to show goes ahead), it has kindly sponsored the idea
encourage the many carvers in clubs to keep busy, of a competition titled British Countryside. Often just
keep thinking and keep carving! a word, or maybe a song, book or film title, can spur
At Exeter Woodcarvers we have no idea how many the imagination.
more weeks will go by without a club meeting, but I’m We hope that, in the seclusion of their sheds and
sure we all want to keep adding shape to our ideas. workshops, our members are keeping up their skills
I know some of us find having the idea in the first and interest in working with wood. I have completed a
instance is probably the hardest part, but to help with couple of carvings so far – hope you like them.
that we often work to titles or topics. Good luck to anyone chiselling away in solitude.
Yandles in Somerset has always allowed us to exhibit Thank you, John Patterson
and demonstrate at its shows. This September (if the Chairman, Exeter Woodcarvers

Some other letters from our readers

Tips for letter

carving
Having done a considerable amount of letter
cutting on memorial benches, bowls and
church candlesticks, I have found the easiest
and best way to space the lettering and
achieve standard forms was to make friends
with my local signwriter who, for a small
sum, will produce the modern equivalent of
Letraset, in whatever size and font I require.
(They have even produced Greek script for
me). This can be stuck to the item, drawn
round in pencil and then peeled off.
Regards,
Peter Davies

66 WOODCARVING 176
 FROM THE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

A website for woodcarvers

During the lockdown I had been thinking that a lot of carvers are now
working in isolation and it would be good to see the progress, ideas and
problems they experience as they work on projects.
What I am thinking of is a website about woodcarving where
carvers can post their progress and the issues they experience. Some
professionals may want to post but this would be mainly for keen
amateur carvers to get ideas and inspiration and share problems.
What started this for me was my current owl project. I began working
on it in 2012 when I wanted to do a large carving but didn’t want to
spend a large sum to obtain big blocks of lime, which was a problem
to source.
My brother-in-law works at a carpet warehouse and he had some scrap
MDF panels, 900mm square x 10mm thick, which he gave me. I used
these to cut out the profile and I had a gallon of wood glue to laminate
them to the size I wanted.
After cutting and gluing I started profiling with a disc cutter carving
disc (a Christmas present from my daughters). Unfortunately, while
it roughed out well, it became blunt and didn’t sharpen well. I started
making the feet from scrap copper wire from work and home, however
this did not go well and the project was put to the back of the bench.
I retired a couple of years ago and, along with a bit of gardening and
volunteering, I still continue doing some carving. Now with lockdown
and cleaning up my workshop, the owl project was restarted and, to
keep in contact with family and friends, I started posting my progress
on Facebook. The good comments and encouragement I received
inspired me to push on.
Here you can see the first phase of the owl in 2012 (top right). This is
the restart of the project (opposite); and another reworking of the feet
and taking great care to clean the copper and flux well before soldering
(below right).
I hope your readers find the project so far interesting, and it would
be great to know if anyone has any ideas on an upload site for those
interested in woodcarving. Look after yourself and stay safe.
Best regards, Mike Gurney

Creating a fairyland
A lady who lives a few doors away from me looks after
the local park at the end of our road and wanted to
make fairy doors on some of the trees. So I made a few
for her out of my scrap timber.
This picture is of a log of unidentified timber, so I
made a log fairy house. All scraps come in handy.
Steven Freeman

WOODCARVING 176 67
 Hanging parrot
Cedric Boyns lets his imagination take flight with this fun decoration

A fter a few years playing professional

cricket for Worcestershire, I embarked
on my teaching career, first at RGS
Worcester, then at Bloxham School, where I
spent 23 years teaching biology. I also ran a
of offcuts of different woods on my bandsaw
table. Rather than throw them in the bag
for the woodburner, I wanted to see if I
could make use of them.
I recalled seeing some of the work of
Things you will need
• Copy of the templates
• Titebond III wood glue or similar
• Superglue
• Hot-melt glue
boarding house there for 13 years before retiring woodcarvers in Cuba when I visited there • Fishing line (about 30cm)
in 2009. I have always enjoyed working with fairly recently. They combine many different • Masking tape
wood and was keen to have a go at both carving woods in much of their work. One of the birds • Danish oil or other finish of your choice
and turning now that I had more time. I joined I remember featuring on their stalls was a
a carving evening class for a couple of terms parrot, so I decided I would start with this, Tools
in 201o, which started me off and I loved it. I and have a go at combining different • Bandsaw (or scroll saw, coping saw, fretsaw)
also joined a local woodturning club, which is woods to make a selection of simple • At least one No.3 or No.5 gouge,
brilliant, and I enjoy combining the two skills birds that hang up, with the possible 6-12mm (Fishtail if you have it)
in my projects. I have done a lot of travelling goal of producing a mobile. • Carving knife (detail knife preferred)
abroad in the past 10 years and have got much This project was therefore the first one • No11 gouge - 2mm (or other suitable
of the inspiration for my carving work from I tried and crafts a parrot-like bird using veiner or small parting tool)
what I have seen on those trips. I have no formal the offcuts of six different woods. The • Set square
training whatsoever in art or design, but feel I idea was to make relatively simple, but • Pencil and metal ruler (can be
have learned a great deal by ‘giving it a go’. There nonetheless recognisable, creations that used as a straight edge
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CEDRIC BOYNS

is a wealth of talent in the clubs I belong to, so are fun and quite straightforward to make • Drill - hand or pillar drill
there is ample opportunity to learn from others. with relatively few really specialist tools. • Twist drills - 2mm, 3.5mm, 4.5 mm
There is also the possibility of combining • Belt sanding machine (plane
Making use of waste wood carving and turning in their construction or sanding block)
With many carving and turning projects which appeals to me – although I appreciate • Abrasives - 100g down to 400g
already completed during the coronavirus that it would not appeal to all carvers. • Carving vice - or chops, preferably
lockdown period, several of them for my I have so far completed six different designs with cork and leather-lined jaws
grandchildren, I found myself with plenty and have plans in my head for many more. • PPE - dust mask + suitable dust extraction

68 WOODCARVING 176
 HANGING PARROT PROJECT

Crest template

Wing template

Tail template

Side View Front View

(c)
(d)

(c)
(b)

(a)

Body template
Diagram to show how the
body blocks are assembled

→
WOODCARVING 176 69
1 The wood you have will determine what you
use. I used those indicated below in brackets.

Preparing the body

2 (a) A block of light-coloured wood (e.g. lime),
60mm x 50mm x 25mm. Make the block as
square as possible and sand the two 60mm
edges flat as these will be involved in the
glueing to other sections of the body. (b) A
block of slightly darker wood (e.g. beech),
50mm x 30mm x 25mm. Flatten one of the
50mm edges for bonding. (c) The light piece
in the eye region (lime) will come from an
offcut of the main body block (a) when it is 1 2
cut out. (d) A block of very dark wood (e.g.
iroko), 40mm x 25mm x 20mm. This can be
a bit thinner because it forms the beak and
this region is going to be tapered quite a lot.

Wings, tail and crest

3 These are cut out of much thinner blocks of
wood and in order to be able to use a bandsaw
safely to cut out each part, I made those thin
blocks big enough to allow plenty of spare
around each template. If using other saws this
may not be necessary. To safely sand them
on the belt sander I stuck a ‘handle’ on with
hot-melt glue, it is then easily removed later. 3 4
Wings (elm) A 5mm-thick piece of wood is
needed, large enough to have two areas of
dimensions of roughly 85mm x 30mm. The
grain runs lengthways down the wing.
Tail (iroko) A 6mm-thick piece at least 55mm
x 45mm. The grain runs lengthways.
Crest (cherry) A 6mm-thick piece at least 30mm
x 30mm, but I used a piece about 180mm x
30mm. The grain is better across the crest.

Constructing the body

4 Copy and cut out the template of the main
body with the crest attached. Glue body part
(a) to body part (b) using a suitable wood 5 6
glue. They can be clamped but I did not find
this necessary as long as both the long edges
being bonded are perfectly flat. I used a belt
sander, but planing or hand sanding should
allow for a decent join. Allow this bond to set.

5 Put the template on this part of the body lining

up the join between (a) and (b). Draw around
and cut out the body, being careful to get the
line faces between (b) and the eye region (c), as
well as between (b) and the beak section (d), as
straight as possible. They need to be perfectly
flat for glueing (see later). Keep the offcut.

6 Sand the upper face of (b) flat before gluing 7 8

part (c) in place. This small piece of wood
needed is part of the waste cut away from part
(a). One face of this should already be flat.

7 When dry cut out the body as far as the join

with the beak. You should now have the first
three sections of the body assembled. After
sanding the last join line flat, glue on the
beak section (d). If you have made this block
a bit thinner, check that it is glued centrally.

8, 9 & 10 Allow to dry. After drawing

in the outline with the template, cut
around the beak to complete the
construction of the body section. 9 10

70 WOODCARVING 176
 HANGING PARROT PROJECT

Making the tail, wings and crest

11 These are drawn on the blocks using the
appropriate templates and cut out on the
bandsaw. After shaping, they are all sanded
down to 400 grit. The preparation can be
carried out during the time taken for the glue
to set during the making of the body section.

12 & 13 Cut around the outline of the crest but

leave the base of it attached to the block from
which it was fashioned. This not only allows
the safe use of the bandsaw to do this, but
also allowed me to hold such a small piece in
11 12 my vice for shaping using a No.5, 6mm fishtail
gouge. A knife or rotary tool could also be used
for all the shaping in this project if preferred.
Note the direction of the grain and shape with,
or slightly across, the grain. Take particular
care not to knock the peaks off the crest.
Saw the crest from its block. Once
detached its base must be sanded flat
ready for glueing to the head, which must
also be given a flat area in the correct
position as shown in the drawings.

14, 15 & 16 Once cut out the tail section

can be shaped and tapered towards the
13 14 edges and the tip using the gouge and coarse
abrasive. How much tapering is a matter
of personal choice. An additional bit of
detail can be added to the outer face in the
form of some grooves, using a small veiner
or parting tool. Finally, the base of the tail
must be perfectly flat for glueing to the tail
end of the body, which must also be flat.
Because this is a potentially weak end grain
to end grain joint, I used a tiny 2mm dowel
to help strengthen the joint. This is whittled
from a scrap of beech using a carving knife.
2mm holes were drilled centrally in both
surfaces, ensuring that the tail is positioned
15 16 correctly when it is glued on later.

17, 18 & 19 The wings are cut out with the

bandsaw and tapered using the No 5, 6mm
fishtail gouge, or whittled with a carving knife
depending on whether you have a suitable
vice for secure holding while carrying this
out. There should be more tapering as you
move away from the leading edge of the
wing. The ‘peg’ to attach the wing to the
body is rounded to fit into a 4.5mm hole.
Be careful not to make it too small at this
stage as final adjustments can be made
when the holes have been drilled later.
A series of grooves can then be cut on
17 18 the outer surface of each wing using
a veiner, to add some detail.

Shaping the body

20 Use a No.5 fishtail gouge to round down
the square edges all around the body until
you have the desired shape. Take care to
cut with the grain. The tail end needs to be
tapered further, but be careful not to take
off too much wood at this stage as the tail
itself must be glued on before the final
shaping is completed. The face and beak
are shaped to the correct profile but be
careful with the grain once more as iroko
(if you have used it for the beak) has a
19 20 tendency to splinter rather easily.

WOODCARVING 176 71
21 Using a course grit abrasive (100) rough
sand the whole body at this stage to confirm
that it is even and symmetrical on both
sides. Make any adjustments needed.
Put the groove in the beak by making
a small cut with the bandsaw.

22 & 23 Glue on the tail and check that it is

at the right angle. Once dry the tail end of
the body can be carefully shaped to meet
the tail itself using a gouge or detail knife
and smoothed off with 100g abrasive.
Again check that it is symmetrical.

24 Mark the positions of the holes to be drilled

for the eyes and the wings. With a 3.5mm drill
make a hole 5mm deep in the centre of section 21 22
(c) on each side of the body. I have a V-section
jig that I made to hold round sections of wood,
such as dowels for drilling. This enabled me to
hold the body at an angle of about 45° which
is about the right angle for all the holes.
The 4.5mm holes for the wings should be
deep enough to allow the pegs to be fully
inserted into them. They should be at a point
about 18-20mm behind the base of the crest.
The angle needed is again about 45° from the
vertical centreline. I use a pillar drill and my
V-shaped jig but they can be drilled by eye
with a hand drill and the body held in a vice.
The wings can either be removable or glued in,
but before putting them in place, now is a good
time to do the final sanding down through
the grits to 400. Then attach the wings.
23 24
25 The eyes are made from a scrap of
black walnut whittled into a dowel 3.5mm
in diameter. A short length is glued into
each eye hole, pared down when dry with
a gouge or knife, and then sanded to leave
them just proud of the body surface.

26 Attach a short length of fishing line to hang

the parrot up. The goal is to get it hanging with
the tail pointing vertically down. The point of
attachment will be somewhere just in front of
the wings. To find this point you need a short
length of narrow masking tape, into which
you cut a small slit to halfway across it. Take
the length of fishing line and put a figure-
of-eight knot close to one end. With the line
through the slit, the knot can be temporarily
stuck to the centreline of the back, and the 25 26
bird just raised gently off the bench top to
see how it hangs. Minor adjustments may
need to be made until the point where the
hole needs to be drilled can be ascertained.
Drill a 2mm hole, 6-8mm deep at this point.
The knotted end is then pushed down into the
hole and held firm with a drop of superglue.
In addition, a small plug can be whittled
from a scrap of lime wood to fill the hole
and trap the line, creating a better finish.
Take care not to damage or break the line if
you choose to do this. Put a loop in the other
end of the line to allow it to be hung up.

27 After a final sanding with 400 grit

abrasive, if necessary, it is now ready for
you to add the finish. I used two thin coats
of Danish oil, applied with a soft cloth.
The finished bird should look like this. w 27

72 WOODCARVING 176
 MEET THE AUTHORS COMMUNITY

Our contributors

Adrian (Ade) Lloyd is a Cedric Boyns joined a carving Dave Western is a Mark Fortune followed
full-time designer, maker evening class for a couple of terms professional lovespoon a traditional apprenticeship
and teacher of traditional in 2010 which started him off. He carver and the author of in stone carving to become a
heritage handcrafts based also joined a local woodturning two books on the subject. master of his craft with more
in North West Cumbria club which was brilliant and he He carves to commission than 20 years’ experience.
and also does some enjoys combining the two skills and also teaches carving Since 2008 he has turned
blacksmithing and edge in his projects. A lot of travelling classes. His books, The Fine his attention primarily to
tool making. He is currently abroad in the last 10 years has Art of Carving Lovespoons woodcarving. He teaches
Chair of The Association given much of the inspiration and History of Lovespoons, from his home workshop at
of Pole-lathe Turners and for his carving work. He has no are both available through Raheenwood in East Clare.
Green Woodworkers. formal training whatsoever in art GMC Publications. markivanfortune@icloud.com
www.adrian-lloyd.co.uk or design, but feels he has learnt davidwesternlovespoons. www.instagram.com/
adrian@adrian-lloyd.co.uk a great deal by ‘giving it a go’. com markivanfortune

Mark Gough is a self-taught Murray Taylor was a Peter Benson has travelled Steve Bisco has been carving
woodworker, woodcarver jeweller and silversmith the world teaching and for 30 years, specialising in
and stickmaker who before retiring 15 years judging woodcarving at decorative carving in period
runs a small business ago and devoting time to all standards for the past styles, first in wood and
making commissioned woodcarving. Murray has 20 years. He has written recently in stone. His book,
sticks and other design made three DVDs related to two books on the subject. Stone Carving for the Home
projects. Previous jobs woodcarving, one of which bencarve@btinternet.com & Garden, is available from
include timber building, is on chip carving, and he GMC Publications.
construction and signwriting is involved in teaching and steve@thebiscos.com
& narrowboat art. promoting chip carving.
www.stickcraft.info murraytaylor@hotmail.
mark@stickcraft.info co.uk
Facebook woodstickcraft

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WOODCARVING 176 73
 Next issue...
Steve Bisco creates a stunning
tulip tree pierced panel

Dave Western completes Zoe Gertner carves an

his Icelandic bedboard adorable sleeping dormouse
Murray Taylor explains what you need to begin carving
74 WOODCARVING 176
 Oak & laurel frame
Mark Ivan Fortune carves this beautiful wood surround in the Black Forest style
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK IVAN FORTUNE

ourcing interesting wood that’s suitable for carving can prove where I aim to have a piece in design, a piece being carved

S a challenging task. I will often put out posts on social media

following a big storm enquiring after fruit trees that have toppled
and something of interest will usually present itself. Once the wood is
sawn into manageable lengths for transport, I seal the end grain and
and a piece being finished – I keep a steady flow of wood to plank,
wood drying and wood ready for carving.
In this miniature frame carved in ancient yew, I have attempted
to create some interest by the use of two distinctly contrasting leaf
leave it out of direct sunlight, under cover in a well-ventilated area, until styles. Even if you don’t carve this project, I suggest adding the leaf
I have time to cut it into blanks on the bandsaw. Occasionally I come techniques to your bag of tricks.
across larger pieces, which I take to the local sawmill for planking. Last It is imperative to the life of the carving that each leaf is allowed to
year I was lucky to be given a small quantity of windblown ancient yew take on its own individual identity. Allow your own sense of form to
that had been milled and air dried. In a similar way to my carving – guide you through the modelling and detailing stages. →
WOODCARVING 176 75
 Things you will need
• Bandsaw
• Scrollsaw
• Padsaw/jigsaw
• Router
• Marking knife
• Paint scraper
• No.4, 3/8in gouge
• No.6, 1/8in gouge
• V-tool
• No.8, ½in gouge
• No.5, 1/8in gouge
• Skew chisel
• Small veining tool
• No. 6, 3/16in gouge
• No. 9, ¼in gouge
Materials:
• Blank – 9 x 6½ x 3 x 4in
• Backing – 4¾ x 3½ x 1/8in
• Beeswax polish

DRAWINGS
Keep your working
drawing to hand as,
once the removal of
wood commences,
pencil lines and
direction are easily lost.

Rescale the drawing

to suit your tools
If you don’t have
minute tools to fit
in all the void
spaces, redraw
the piece to enlarge
it and create bigger
pierced sections
by omitting some
of the leaves.

PREPARATIONS
1 Align the pattern with the wood grain to
best suit the elements of the carving. Glue
the template to the surface of the frame
blank and to the backing plate. Cut out
backing plate only. Now cut out the centre
of the blank. (Leaving the frame within
the board will assist in holding the work
during the preparatory stages and especially
when routing the back of the frame.)

2 Looking through the opening from the front,

carefully align the backing board. Use Blu Tack
or similar to steady the positioning. Hold the
backing in place and trace around it with a
marking knife, scoring the back of the frame.
To prevent the knife grain following, make a
shallow first pass, getting progressively deeper. 1 2

76 WOODCARVING 176
 OAK & LAUREL FRAME PROJECT

3 Mark the depth of the recess with a marking

gauge and route the recess at the back
of the frame to a depth of 1/8in to receive
the backing. If you do not have access to a
router you can achieve the same results by
grounding out with carving tools. Ensure a
snug fit, then set aside the backing plate.

4 Cut out the frame. Drill and scrollsaw the

pierced sections. Making smooth, accurate
cuts to save time in the carving stage. It is
best to mark waste clearly with a coloured
pencil to avoid the potential for mistakes.

5 Gauge a base line for the inner frame 1/8in from

the now-routed back . Glue the blank to MDF
3 4 backing with a few sheets of paper sandwiched
between. Secure the work to your bench. With
a V-tool part the inner frame from the leaves.

6 Reduce the height of the inner frame to the

gauge line with a No.4, 3/8in gouge keeping
some meat on the two off-shoots in the bottom
section and staying clear of the two thin laurel
stems either side in the middle section.

7 Reduce the height of the two flanking

laurel branches to a little more than their
width. We shall return to these later.

8 Separate the leaf forms with a V-tool. Note how

the cuts are always on the lower leaves and forms.
Be sure to make clean cuts as with a busy carving
it’s easy to lose your way if it becomes messy.
5 6
9 Clean up the forms of the leaves by gently
stabbing the sharp recesses with the V-tool,
relieving the chip with a skew and refining
the curves with a No.6, 1/8in gouge.

10 With a No.8, ½in gouge, carefully ground out

around the groups of laurel berries. Be sure not
to undercut them at this stage – aim for a depth
of at least the diameter of a berry. The base of
the berries will act as a springing point for the
laurel leaves and will dictate the appropriate
depth throughout the rest of the carving.

11 With a small No.5, 1/8in gouge carefully

stab around the individual berries and,
with the same tool in hand and where
possible working with the grain, carefully
7 8 round over the tops of each berry.

9 10 11 →
WOODCARVING 176 77
12 Take your time to set in the different
heights of each leaf and stem by stabbing
and carving with V-tool, gouges and
skew while occasionally referring to the
drawing. This step is highly individual
and the basis for the whole effective
flow and contrast of the carving as it
hinges on this preliminary outlay.

13 Care must be taken when separating

the overlapping branches at the bottom
of the frame as one is dealing with
delicate short grain. Begin separating the
overlap with the V-tool before rounding
over the branches with an inverted
No.4, 3⁄8in gouge. Do not undercut.
12 13
14 Now that we have the basic form and
flow firmly established we are ready to
move on to the detailing. With stropped
tools begin by outlining the ruffles with
a veining tool. Try to keep as much of the
central material as possible as we want
to create a concave middle to the leaf.

15 Now use the inverted No. 6, 3/16in

gouge (preferably a spade tool) to
shape the ruffles. Use a slicing cut
following the ark of the ruffles while
remembering to keep as much of the
material in the middle as possible.

16 With the same tool in hand and

inverted, shape the central aspect of the
leaf. Use the corners of the spade tool 14 15
to get right down into the junctions of
where the ruffles and central section
converge. Follow your creative instincts
in varying the forms of the leaves and try
to visualise the leaf as the form emerges.

17 Cut the central vein with the

veining tool. Once the groupings of
leaves have been completed you may
finish the berries by first ensuring
the correct height then rounding
over and finally undercutting.

18 Now we turn our attentions to the oak

leaves. With the No. 9, ¼in gouge, using
rolling cuts, make two or more deep
troughs, either straight across the leaf
or at a diagonal. Try to visualise where 16 17
the leaf might naturally rise and fall.

19 With an inverted No. 4, 3/8in gouge

round over the space between cuts.
Try to avoid your corners digging in
but if this happens simply repeat the
previous step again to clean up any digs.

18 19

78 WOODCARVING 176
 OAK & LAUREL FRAME PROJECT

20 With the veining tool cut two

parallel veins, gently curving to lend
some movement to the leaf. Each lobe
gets a small vein. The lobes may need
to be redefined after detailing.

21 Now cut in the delicate laurel

branches either side. Use a No.4, 3/8in
to stab and remove the waste on the
open inner side of the branches.

22 Begin the tight side by stabbing the

branch with a small No 4. This space will take
a variety of tools to clean out, including a
veiner and a small skew chisel. Proceed with
caution as small tools are easily damaged in
20 21 tight spaces if the proper care is not taken.

23 With an inverted No. 4, 3/8in gouge round

over the main framing branch, working
down only as far as our gauged line.

24 Texture all branches with the veining tool.

This is done in a random fashion, keeping
the long cuts in the direction of growth.

25 Carefully undercut all elements of the

frame. When undercutting it is important
to maintain the structural integrity of
the piece by only undercutting what is
absolutely necessary for the visual aspect.

26 Separate the carving from the backing

with a paint scraper, carefully and
22 23 without levering, by gradually wedging
it between the carving and paper. Lightly
lubricating the blade with coconut oil
makes the process a little easier.

27 Apply a thin coat of beeswax polish

with a toothbrush and leave to dry before
carefully buffing with a clean shoe
brush, preferably of natural bristle. w

BE PROUD
There is little to be proud of by undercutting
the life out of the carving. A carving, by design
and execution, should be fit for purpose and
longevity with handling and cleaning in mind.
24 25

26 27

WOODCARVING 176 79
 The Amber Room
This month we trace the remarkable history of the ‘eighth wonder of the world’

here can be few carvings in the world as beautiful Pushkin. Here, the room was redesigned by Italian designer

T as those in the Amber Room, a richly decorated

chamber covered in amber panels backed with gold
leaf and mirrors. And even fewer carvings have such an
Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli using additional amber.
When the German army invaded Russia during WWII, Russian
officials at the Charlotte Palace tried to hide the amber panels
eventful history, involving war, theft and mystery. behind wallpaper. However, their attempts at concealment failed
The story begins in 1701 when Friedrich I, the King of and the Amber Room was looted and shipped back to Germany to
Prussia, commissioned them from German sculptor Andreas Königsberg’s castle museum. What happened next to the panels
Schlüter and Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram. remains a mystery. In August 1944 allied bombing raids destroyed
The panels were originally installed in the Charlottenburg Königsberg and the castle museum, it is not known whether the
Palace in Berlin, but when Peter the Great admired them amber panels were still there or whether they had been sent away.
during a visit to Prussia, Friedrich offered them to the Russian The story concludes with a meticulous reconstruction which
Tsar. The Amber Room was then shipped to Russia and began in 1979 and was completed in 2004. The new Amber
placed in the Winter House, St Petersburg. In 1755 the panels Room was installed in the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum
were moved again and installed in the Catherine Palace in Reserve near St Petersburg and is now on public display.
PHOTOGRAPH BY FOTOGRIN/SHUTTERSTOCK

80 WOODCARVING 176
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